king henry viii short biography

Henry VIII, king of England, was famously married six times and played a critical role in the English Reformation, turning his country into a Protestant nation.

(1491-1547)

Who Was King Henry VIII?

English reformation, henry viii’s wives, king henry viii’s children, henry viii’s death.

Henry Tudor was the king of England from 1509 until his death in 1547. The son of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth York, Henry became king of England following the death of his father. He married six times, beheading two of his wives, and was the main instigator of the English Reformation. His only surviving son, Edward VI, succeeded him after his death.

Henry Tudor was born on June 28, 1491, at the royal residence, Greenwich Palace, in Greenwich, London, England. The son of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth York, Henry VIII was one of six children, only four of whom survived: Arthur, Margaret and Mary. As a young man and monarch, second in the Tudor Dynasty, Henry VIII exuded a charismatic athleticism and diverse appetite for art, music and culture. He was witty and highly educated, taught by private tutors for his entire upbringing. He loved music and wrote some as well.

A lover of gambling and jousting, he hosted countless tournaments and banquets. His father always envisioned Arthur as king and Henry as a high-ranking church official—the appropriate role at that time for his secondary birth order. As fate would have it, Henry instead inherited an entire peaceful nation after his father ended the Wars of the Roses .

Henry’s older brother Arthur was expected to take the throne. In 1502, Prince Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Spanish king and queen, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. After less than four months of marriage, Arthur died at the age of 15, leaving his 10-year-old brother, Henry, the next in line to the throne.

Upon King Henry VII’s death in 1509, Henry VIII took the crown at age 17. Henry was good-natured, but his court soon learned to bow to his every wish. Two days after his coronation, he arrested two of his father's ministers and promptly executed them. He began his rule seeking advisers on most matters and would end it with absolute control.

From 1514 to 1529, Henry VIII had relied on Thomas Wolsey, a Catholic cardinal, to guide his domestic and foreign policies. Wolsey enjoyed a lavish existence under Henry, but when Wolsey failed to deliver Henry's quick annulment from Catherine, the cardinal quickly fell out of favor.

After 16 years of power, Wolsey was arrested and falsely charged with treason. He subsequently died in custody. Henry's actions upon Wolsey gave a strong signal to the pope that he would not honor the wishes of even the highest clergy and would instead exercise full power in every realm of his court.

In 1534, Henry VIII declared himself supreme head of the Church of England. After Henry declared his supremacy, the Christian church separated, forming the Church of England. Henry instituted several statutes that outlined the relationship between the king and the pope and the structure of the Church of England: the Act of Appeals, the Acts of Succession and the first Act of Supremacy, declaring the king was "the only Supreme Head in Earth of the Church of England."

These macro reforms trickled down to minute details of worship. Henry ordered the clergy to preach against superstitious images, relics, miracles and pilgrimages, and to remove almost all candles from religious settings. His 1545 catechism, called the King's Primer , left out the saints.

Fully separated now from the pope, the Church of England was under England's rule, not Rome's. From 1536 to 1537, a great northern uprising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace took hold, during which 30,000 people rebelled against the king's changes. It was the only major threat to Henry's authority as monarch. The rebellion's leader, Robert Aske, and 200 others were executed. When John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, and Sir Thomas More, Henry's former Lord Chancellor, refused to take the oath to the king, they were beheaded at Tower Hill.

Henry VIII had a total of six wives, including Catherine of Aragon , Anne Boleyn , Jane Seymour , Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

Catherine of Aragon

At the age of 17, Henry married Catherine of Aragon, Spain, and the two were crowned at Westminster Abbey. Henry VIII’s father wanted to affirm his family's alliance with Spain, so he offered his young son to Catherine, who was the widow of Henry’s brother Arthur. The two families requested that Pope Julius II officially grant a dispensation to Arthur and Catherine's marriage. The pope conceded, but the official marriage of Henry and Catherine was postponed until the death of Henry VII in 1509.

Although Catherine gave birth to Henry’s first child, a daughter, Mary, Henry grew frustrated by the lack of a male heir and began keeping two mistresses at his beckon. His philandering ways were tame by the standards of his contemporaries, but they nonetheless resulted in his first divorce in 1533.

Anne Boleyn

One of Henry’s mistresses during his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Mary Boleyn, introduced him to her sister, Anne, and Anne and Henry began secretly seeing one another. Because Catherine was now 42 and unable to conceive another child, Henry set on a mission to obtain a male heir by configuring a way to officially abandon his marriage with Catherine.

The Book of Leviticus stated that a man who takes his brother's wife shall remain childless. Though Catherine had borne him a child, that child was a girl, which, in Henry's logic, did not count. He petitioned the pope for an annulment but was refused due to pressure from Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Catherine's nephew. The debate, during which Catherine fought mightily to maintain both her own and her daughter's titles, lasted for six years.

In 1533, Anne Boleyn, who was still Henry's mistress, became pregnant. Henry decided he didn't need the pope's permission on matters of the Church of England. Thomas Cranmer, the new archbishop of Canterbury, presided over the trial that declared his first marriage annulled. Henry VIII and Anne married secretly in January 1533.

Inside the court, however, Queen Anne suffered greatly from her failure to produce a living male heir. After she miscarried twice, Henry became interested in one of Anne's ladies-in-waiting, Jane Seymour. In an all-out effort to leave his unfruitful marriage, Henry contrived an elaborate story that Anne had committed adultery, had incestuous relations and was plotting to murder him.

Henry charged three men on account of their adultery with his wife, and on May 15, 1536, he put her on trial. Anne, regal and calm, denied all charges against her. Four days later, Henry's marriage to Anne was annulled and declared invalid. Anne was then taken to the Tower Green, where she was beheaded in private on May 19, 1536.

Jane Seymour

Within 11 days of Anne Boleyn's execution, on May 30, 1536, Jane Seymour and Henry VIII formally wed. However, Jane was never officially coronated or crowned queen. In October 1537, following a difficult pregnancy, Jane Seymour produced the king’s long-hoped-for son, Edward.

Just nine days after giving birth, Jane died from a pregnancy-related infection. Because Jane was the only of Henry’s spouses to bear him a son, he considered her to be his only "true" wife. He and his court mourned for an extended period of time after her passing.

Anne of Cleves

Three years after the death of Jane Seymour, Henry was ready to marry again, mainly to ensure the succession of his crown. He inquired in foreign courts about the appearances of available women. Anne, the sister of the Duke of Cleves, was suggested. The German artist Hans Holbein the Younger, who served as the king's official painter, was sent out to create a portrait of her. However after the couple married, in January 1540, Henry disapproved of Anne in the flesh and divorced her after six months. She received the title of "The King's Sister" and was given Hever Castle as ample residence.

Catherine Howard

Within weeks of his divorce to Anne of Cleves, Henry married the very young Catherine Howard, a first cousin of Anne Boleyn, in a private marriage on July 28, 1540. Henry, 49, and Catherine, 19, started out a happy pair. Henry was now dealing with tremendous weight gain and a bad leg, and his new wife gave him zest for life. He repaid her with lavish gifts.

Happiness would not last long for the couple. Catherine began seeking the attention of men her own age—a tremendously dangerous endeavor for the queen of England. After an investigation into her behavior, she was deemed guilty of adultery. On February 13, 1542, Henry had Catherine executed on the Tower Green.

Catherine Parr

Independent and well-educated, Catherine Parr was Henry's last and sixth wife; the pair were married in 1543. She was the daughter of Maud Green, a lady-in-waiting to Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Maud named her daughter after the queen; thus Henry's last wife was named after his first. Parr was a twice-made widow.

The most well-documented incident of Catherine Parr's life was her effort to ban books, a truly horrible act under her husband's leadership that practically got her arrested. When Henry came to admonish her for her brash actions, she submitted to him, saying she was merely looking to create a circumstance when he could teach her the proper way to behave. Henry accepted the sentiment, either true or devised, saving her from a brutal end.

Mary Tudor , Henry’s first child to survive infancy with Queen Catherine, was born on February 18, 1516. Following the death of her half-brother Edward in 1553, Mary became the queen of England and ruled until her death in 1558.

On September 7, 1533, Anne Boleyn gave birth to Henry VIII’s second daughter, Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth was born a princess, Henry eventually declared her illegitimate. After Mary Tudor’s death, Elizabeth was crowned as Queen Elizabeth I in 1558 and remained on the throne until her death in 1603.

King Henry VIII’s only son, Edward, was born on October 12, 1537. Upon Henry’s death in 1547, Edward succeeded him as king at the tender age of 10 and ruled until his death in 1553.

On January 28, 1547, at the age of 55, King Henry VIII of England died. As a middle-aged man, Henry became covered with pus-filled boils and possibly suffered from gout. A jousting accident opened a violent wound in his leg which ulcerated and left him unable to play sports. His eventual obesity required that he be moved with mechanical inventions. His habit of binge-eating highly fatty meats was perhaps a symptom of stress. A recent and credible theory suggests that he suffered from untreated type II diabetes.

Henry VIII was interred in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle alongside his deceased third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry's only surviving son, Edward, inherited the throne, becoming Edward VI. Princesses Elizabeth and Mary waited in succession.

• “I beseech you now with all my heart definitely to let me know your whole mind as to the love between us; for necessity compels me to plague you for a reply, having been for more than a year now struck by the dart of love, and being uncertain either of failure or of finding a place in your heart and affection.” — [Excerpt from a letter to Anne Boleyn during their courtship.]

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Henry VIII Biography

Henry VIII (1491-1547)

Under Henry VIII the power of the throne reached its zenith. Henry VIII made radical changes to the constitution of England, using increasingly repressive means to quell any descent. He is also famous for his six wives – two of which he had executed. Henry VIII was instrumental in splitting the English Church from Rome, cementing the Protestant Reformation in England.

In 1509, he also married Catherine of Aragon, the widow of his elder brother Arthur. This was a powerful political marriage because of her links with the Spanish Royal family. However, their marriage soured because of her inability to give birth to a male heir – an heir that Henry VIII desperately wanted.

Also, during the early years of his reign, he was active in foreign policy. Through his able minister Thomas Wolsey, he fought both the Scottish and French. Initially, these were successful, but the French campaign became increasingly bitter and costly – a war which proved a great drain on the nation’s finances.

Henry VIII turned on his minister Wolsey when he failed to persuade the Pope to grant an annulment of his marriage to Catherine.  Henry decided to go ahead with the divorce anyway. With the help of Thomas Cromwell , his new right-hand man, he had his first marriage annulled and married his new love – Anne Boleyn .

The divorce meant Henry VIII was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. But, Henry did not mind and just announced himself head of the Church of England. He also demanded the clergy declare the loyalty to him and not the pope.

“Well-beloved subjects! we thought that the clergy of our realm had been our subjects wholly, but now, we have well perceived that they be but half our subjects; yea, and scarce our subjects, for all the prelates, at their consecration, take an oath to the Pope clean contrary to the oath they make to us, so that they seem to be his subjects and not ours.”

Henry VIII, English Constitutional History, by Thomas Pitt Taswell-Langmead, p. 332

Following on from this he launched a brutal assault on the church and the dissolution of the monasteries which were a means to raid the Church’s coffers for the benefit of his treasury.

Because Henry VIII was so powerful and so ready to execute opponents, most churchmen and state official agreed to these monumental changes. Some of the most famous resistors included – Sir Thomas More and later the Protestant reformer William Tyndale . Both were executed for their ‘treason.’

Anne Boleyn had one child – the future Queen Elizabeth I, but then suffered three miscarriages. Henry’s infatuation with Anne Boleyn soon changed, and he started to blame her for failing to produce a male heir. He started courting Anne Seymour and to get rid of Anne Boleyn, he requested court fixers to have her framed for adultery and high treason. Along with five other men she was supposed to have had an affair with, she was executed on Henry VIII’s orders.

Henry VIII then married Anne Seymour – who bore Henry VIII a child (the future Edward VI and his only male heir), but she died in childbirth. Henry really mourned for Anne’s death and always looked upon her as his true wife. His fourth wife Anne of Cleaves was a disaster. Henry had been led to believe she was very attractive but on arrival at the court, he was repelled by her appearance, and so after a few weeks the marriage was annulled. His fifth marriage was to Catherine Howard who was later beheaded for adultery in 1542.

His sixth wife was Catherine Parr, the marriage was relatively smooth, and she survived him.

In his final years, Henry’s physical condition rapidly deteriorated due to unhealthy diet and a nasty fall while hunting. He died in 1547.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of Henry VIII” , Oxford, UK – www.biographyonline.net . Published 17th January 2010.

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Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII of England ruled as king from 1509 to 1547 CE. The second Tudor king after his father Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509 CE), Henry had inherited a kingdom which enjoyed both unity and sound finances. Famous for his six wives as he searched for a male heir, the king was charismatic and domineering. In order to escape his first marriage, Henry set himself against the Pope and so began the Reformation of the Church in England whereby it broke away from Rome and the English monarch became its supreme head. A larger-than-life figure, Henry centralised government, further absorbed Wales into his kingdom, saw to the Dissolution of the Monasteries , formed the Royal Navy and built magnificent palaces such as St. James' in London. When Henry died, though, in 1547 CE, he was succeeded by his juvenile son Edward VI of England (r. 1547-1553 CE) and he left him an impoverished kingdom split over religious issues.

Henry Tudor

Henry Tudor had defeated and killed Richard III of England (r. 1483-1485 CE) at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485 CE in the last major action of England's dynastic dispute known as the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487 CE). The House of Lancaster had finally defeated the House of York but Henry, crowned Henry VII of England in October 1485 CE, was intent on creating a brand new ruling house: the Tudors. Henry married Elizabeth of York (b. 1466 CE), daughter of Edward IV of England (r. 1461-70 & 1471-83 CE), on 18 January 1486 CE and he even combined the livery badges of York and Lancaster to create a new royal symbol: the Tudor Rose. England was about to enter the post-medieval era with a new look and a new type of monarchy.

Henry VII had seen off a few final challenges to his rule and set about filling the state coffers as much as he could, strengthening the crown and weakening the nobility in the process. The king's eldest son was Arthur (b. 1486 CE) and he had married the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon , daughter of King Ferdinand II, in 1501 CE. Unfortunately, Arthur died the next year aged just 15. The king's next eldest son, Henry, born on 28 June 1491 CE at Greenwich Palace , became the heir to the throne and in 1503 CE he was made the Prince of Wales. Henry VII was keen to maintain friendly relations with Spain and so Prince Henry, after special permission was gained from the Pope, was betrothed to Catherine of Aragon. When Henry VII died of illness on 21 April 1509 CE, Prince Henry became king. As arranged, he married Catherine on 11 June and was crowned Henry VIII in Westminster Abbey on 24 June 1509 CE.

Contrary to the later and more famous portraits of Henry VIII, in his youth the king cut an athletic figure and, 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in) tall with red hair and beard, an imposing one. Not for nothing was he a champion of the medieval tournaments his father had loved to organise. The prince was also a fine archer, horseman and tennis player, and when he was at rest he composed poetry and music and brushed up on his impressive knowledge of theology. In short, Henry was an intelligent and charismatic character who charmed all he met. The historian John Miller gives the following summary of Henry's powerful but changing character:

[Henry was] strong-willed, shrewd, capable of being moved to fits of generosity and enthusiasm, but also to savage anger. As a young man he was determined to enjoy being King and to outshine his contemporaries. As he passed his prime he became suspicious, capricious, devious and sometimes cruel. (96)

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Henry, perpetually in search of a male heir, went through an incredible six wives. These, and the children they bore, were:

• Catherine of Aragon (m. June 1509 CE) - Mary (b. Feb. 1516 CE)
• Anne Boleyn (m. Jan. 1533 CE) - Elizabeth (b. Sep. 1533 CE)
• Jane Seymour (m. May 1536 CE) - Edward (b. Oct. 1537 CE)
• Anne of Cleves (m. Jan. 1540 CE)
• Catherine Howard (m. July 1540 CE)
• Catherine Parr (m. July 1543 CE)

The English king's first marriage to Catherine of Aragon produced six children but all except one died in infancy. The sole survivor was Mary, born on 18 February 1516 CE. Henry had an illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond (b. 1519 CE), with a mistress, one Elizabeth Blount but that was not much use to a king who craved a recognised heir. The king began looking for a new wife and he found his ideal candidate in Anne Boleyn, younger sister of one of the king's former conquests. Anne insisted on marrying the king before any thoughts could be entertained of raising a family. Henry's problem, then, was how to relieve himself of Catherine, an issue known as the king's 'great matter'.

The solution seemed to be a letter to the Pope suggesting that the lack of a male heir was God 's punishment for Henry marrying the wife of his late brother, a point supported by the Old Testament (the 'Prohibition of Leviticus', Leviticus ch. 20 v. 21). Consequently, the king wished for the Pope to annul the marriage. Unfortunately for Henry, Pope Clement VII (r. 1523-1534 CE) was keen to keep good favour with the most powerful ruler in Europe at the time, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire , Charles V of Spain (r. 1519-1556 CE), who was, significantly, the nephew of Catherine. Further, it was unlikely that Catherine and Arthur, being so young at the time, had ever slept together and so the 'Prohibition of Leviticus' did not in this case apply. The Pope at least sent Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio to England to investigate the matter and preside over a special court in June 1529 CE. Here both Catherine, determined to stay queen, and Henry, determined to get himself a new queen, presented their respective cases.

Despite Campeggio's efforts, nothing was resolved. Henry's next tactic was to permanently separate Catherine from her daughter Mary and shift her about the country to various dilapidated residences. Meanwhile, Henry and Anne Boleyn lived together (but did not sleep together). Sometime in December 1532 CE, Anne, perhaps seeing a baby as the best way to rid herself of her rival Catherine, did sleep with the king and became pregnant. There would be serious repercussions regarding the Church but eventually, Henry had his marriage annulled the next year (see below). Catherine died of cancer in January 1536 CE.

With Anne Boleyn, often known as 'Anne of a thousand days' for her brief reign as queen of the king's heart, Henry had a second daughter, Elizabeth, born on 7 September 1533 CE. However, when the king discovered that Anne had had an affair and his eye had been caught by his next wife, he ordered her execution. The charge, and others ranging from incest to witchcraft, were trumped up because Anne had not produced a healthy male sibling to accompany Elizabeth and the king had tired of their turbulent relationship. Anne was found guilty and executed at the Tower of London in May 1536 CE. A few weeks later Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting at court, and she finally gave the king a son, Edward, born on 12 October 1537 CE. The long-awaited arrival of a male heir sparked off gun salutes, bell-ringing and banquets across England. Tragically, Jane died shortly after and Henry genuinely mourned her passing; of all his wives it is significant that this was the one he wished to be buried alongside.

Anne of Cleves (daughter of the Duke of the German Duchy of that name) was wife number four but she displeased the English king - he had been misled by an overly flattering portrait of her by Hans Holbein the Younger before they had met in person. Henry married her anyway but, rudely calling her the 'Flanders mare', changed his mind a few months later and they divorced by mutual consent on 9 July 1540 CE. Anne was relieved to escape with her life but Henry gave her a generous allowance, enough to live the high life until her death in 1557 CE.

Wife number five was Catherine Howard, then only a teenager and another lady-in-waiting at court that had caught the king's eye. Catherine suffered the same fate as Anne Boleyn when she, too, was accused of having an extramarital affair with a member of the court, one Thomas Culpeper, and an incriminating love letter was produced at her hearing before Parliament. Catherine was executed in the Tower of London in February 1542 CE.

The sixth and final wife was Catherine Parr, already a two-time widow. Catherine, then in her thirties, was a more mature lady than her immediate predecessors, and perhaps because of this, the marriage was a success and the family home a happy one. Catherine outlived Henry but died from complications of childbirth in September 1548 CE.

Unlike many of his medieval predecessors who relied on feudal ties of loyalty, Henry created a court where even lower nobles could get on if they gained the king's favour. The king carefully selected a group of wise men to rule his kingdom for him and chief amongst these was Thomas Wolsey (l. c. 1473-1530 CE). Wolsey was the son of a butcher but he would eventually rise to become Cardinal Archbishop of York. One of his successors as sole minister to the king was an equally ambitious individual, Thomas Cromwell (l. c. 1485-1540 CE), son of a blacksmith. Both Wolsey and Cromwell would eventually displease the king - the former for his lack of success in resolving the 'great matter' and the latter for the Anne of Cleves debacle. Both men would be tried for treason. They would be replaced from 1540 CE by the Privy Council, which regained some of its former function and so high government once again involved a cabinet of ministers rather than a single all-powerful one who could monopolise the king. Henry VIII also made good use of Parliament and that institution went from strength to strength as his reign went on.

In 1536 CE Wales was further integrated into the state apparatus of England and divided into 13 counties in 1543 CE. English was made the official language, and Welsh was banned in official circles. Ireland proved a little more difficult, but the king's ambition to create a centralised kingdom is indicated by his adoption of the title 'King of Ireland' in 1541 CE where previous English kings had only called themselves 'Lord of Ireland'. Finally, the remote north of England was kept in tighter check by the establishment of the Council of the North after 1536 CE.

The Church of England

Henry was a keen scholar of theology and he had no intention of leaving such an important institution as the Church to its own devices. The king wrote a treatise which attacked Lutheranism and was rewarded by the Pope honouring him in 1521 CE with the title 'Defender of the Faith' ( fidei defensor - the F.D. still appears on U.K. coins today). Relations turned sour, though, when Henry wanted his marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon annulled and the king blamed both the Pope and Wolsey for the lack of progress in the matter. Wolsey was eventually accused of treason but he died on his way to trial in 1530 CE. When Thomas Cromwell took over the case, Henry's will was pushed to its logical conclusion: England would run its own Church free from the obligations of Rome. Thomas Cranmer , the Archbishop of Canterbury formally annulled Henry's first marriage in May 1533 CE (although Henry and Anne Boleyn had married in secret a few months earlier). This annulment and Parliament's passing of the Act of Succession (30 April 1534 CE) meant that Catherine's daughter Mary was declared illegitimate. Anne Boleyn was crowned queen in June and her daughter Elizabeth, born in September 1533 CE, was thus recognised as the king's official heir. Henry was excommunicated by the Pope for his actions but by now the whole affair had taken on a significance far beyond royal marriages.

In order to replace the Pope as head of the Catholic Church in England, Henry made himself Supreme Head of the Church of England. This was achieved by the Act of Supremacy of 28 November 1534 CE and meant that Henry, and all subsequent English monarchs, only had one higher authority: God himself. The next scene in this momentous drama came in 1536 CE when Henry presented Parliament with a bill to abolish all monasteries in his kingdom, the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The bill was passed and the estates of the monasteries were redistributed to the Crown and Henry's supporters. The abbots of Glastonbury, Colchester, Reading, and Woburn were all hanged and the last monastery to close was Waltham Abbey in Essex in March 1540 CE.

A good many subjects were keen to see reform in the Church of England and so continue the Protestant Reformation movement that was sweeping across Europe. Many regarded the Church as too rich and too full of priests abusing their position. Certainly not everyone, however, was in agreement with Henry's break from the Pope. Consequently, there were both executions and uprisings. Chief obstacle at court was Sir Thomas More (1478-1535 CE), Henry's former chancellor who disagreed with the divorce with Catherine and Henry's presumption to put himself above the Pope. More was executed for his beliefs in July 1535 CE.

The most notable episode of unrest was in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire where Catholics gathered in protest in the so-called Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 CE. The king would brook no opposition, though, and 178 of the protestors, including their leader Robert Aske, were executed in June 1537 CE. Another move towards independence was the king's approval for a translation of the Bible in English in 1539 CE. It is important to remember though, that Henry was not dead set on reforming the doctrine of the Church; his commitment to traditional Catholic practices such as mass, confession and clerical celibacy, is evidenced in the 1539 CE Act of Six Articles.

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Foreign Policy & Spending

Every inch the medieval king, Henry VIII seemed to dismiss the realities of post-medieval Europe and embarked on a series of military campaigns like so many of his predecessors had done. Despite Henry's sister Margaret (b. 1489 CE) having married King James IV of Scotland (r. 1488-1513 CE) in 1503 CE, Henry sent an army north and won a resounding victory at Flodden in 1513 CE where James IV was killed. Another invading army attacked Edinburgh in 1544 CE but was defeated at the Battle of Ancrum Moor in 1545 CE. Scotland became an unsolved problem that Henry's successors would have to deal with.

Henry, again like many of his predecessors, could not resist a stab at conquering France. However, of his several invasions across the Channel, none were particularly successful, despite a minor naval victory at the Battle of the Spurs (16 August 1513 CE). Henry changed tack and his sister, Mary (b. 1496 CE) was married off to Louis XII of France (1498-1515 CE) in 1514 CE. In 1518 CE, Henry settled for the status quo in Europe and a mutual defence agreement was signed with France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire . To pay for these expensive on-off wars in Scotland and France, Henry was obliged to sell off the lands he had confiscated from the Church to any noble who put in a decent offer. The high costs and the lack of wealth of England compared to far richer France meant Henry had to abandon another series of campaigns in the 1540s CE and he did well to settle for a peace deal in 1546 CE where he at least won control of Boulogne for eight years.

A happier escapade on French soil was the Field of the Cloth of Gold , a spectacular show of pomp and pageantry held just outside Calais in June 1520 CE. The event, which included jousting , hunting and banquets, involved masses of luxury tents (hence its name) and was held as a magnificent if somewhat empty show of friendship between England and France: Henry and Francis I of France (r. 1515-1547 CE).

Another of Henry's successes, and one with far-reaching consequences for the history of England, was his creation of the Royal Navy. The fleet included the great warships Mary Rose and Henry Grâce à Dieu (aka 'Great Harry'). The former was Henry's magnificent flagship ship but it sank in the Solent River in 1545 CE with the loss of 500 lives. The wreck was salvaged in 1982 CE. Eager to make an impression everywhere, the king also built the fine palaces of Whitehall and Saint James' in London and significantly revamped Hampton Court Palace. The grandest of all was Nonsuch in Surrey, a private pleasure palace for the king that was built to commemorate 30 years of rule. The name derived from the boast that no such finer place existed anywhere and it was indeed an extravagant residence where the king could enjoy his favourite pastimes of hunting and hawking. Nonsuch was not completed until after the king's death and, after going through various owners, was finally demolished in the 17th century CE.

All of Henry VIII's 60 houses were lavishly furnished with tapestries, fine art, and gold and silver plate. Thus, by the end of his reign, the king had overspent on war and frivolities, and rampant inflation meant that the pot of gold his father had carefully accumulated had all been squandered. Henry, cruel and vindictive, had few friends left and a kingdom divided over religious matters. Henry VIII, then, whose early reign had promised so much, left little in terms of a lasting legacy except a plethora of portraits, silent testimony to one man's vanity and delusions of imperial grandeur.

Death & Successor

Henry VIII's health declined rapidly in his later years. The King of England suffered a badly ulcerated leg and was so overweight he had to be pushed around on a wheeled contraption. The king died on 28 January 1547 CE at Whitehall Palace in London, he was 55 years old. Henry was buried in Saint George's Chapel at Windsor Castle , next to his late third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry was succeeded by his son Edward VI, crowned in Westminster Abbey on 20 February 1547 CE. Edward was only nine and he would die of tuberculosis in 1553 CE aged 15. He was succeeded by another short-reigning monarch, his half-sister Mary I, who reigned until 1558 CE. Henry VIII's second daughter then became queen, Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603 CE) and with her in swept the Golden Age of England.

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Cartwright, M. (2020, April 09). Henry VIII of England . World History Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Henry_VIII_of_England/

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Cartwright, Mark. " Henry VIII of England ." World History Encyclopedia . Last modified April 09, 2020. https://www.worldhistory.org/Henry_VIII_of_England/.

Cartwright, Mark. " Henry VIII of England ." World History Encyclopedia . World History Encyclopedia, 09 Apr 2020. Web. 29 Sep 2024.

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• Occupation: King of England
• Born: June 28, 1491 in Greenwich, England
• Best known for: Marrying six times and splitting the Church of England from the Catholic Church

• Anne Boleyn did not have a son, but she did give birth to a daughter Elizabeth who would become one of the greatest monarchs in English history.
• Not only was his son Edward VI king, but his daughters Mary and Elizabeth would also be monarchs of England.
• Henry VIII established the permanent navy of England.
• Shakespeare wrote a play about his life called Henry VIII.
• He spent lavishly as king, building over 50 palaces. He spent the entire fortune his father had left him and died in massive debt.
• Listen to a recorded reading of this page:

Facts about Henry VIII

Fascinating facts about one of England's most iconic kings

Henry VIII (1491–1547) is one of the most written about kings in English history. He established the Church of England and the Royal Navy.

Henry VIII came to the throne when his father Henry VII died on 21 April 1509. He was a powerful man and charismatic figure; perhaps best known for his tumultuous love life and the establishment of the Church of England. He is also credited with establishing the Royal Navy, encouraging shipbuilding and the creation of anchorages and dockyards.

1. Henry had six wives in total

They were Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

Who were Henry VIII's wives?

2. His marriage to Anne Boleyn led to the establishment of the Church of England

Because divorce wasn't allowed within the Roman Catholic church, Henry wasn't allowed to divorce Catherine of Aragon and remarry Anne Boleyn. To get around this, Henry broke with the papacy in Rome, and established the Church of England instead. 

3. Henry increased the size of the Royal Navy by 10 times

Fearing attacks from France and Spain after his separation from Rome, Henry invested heavily in the Royal Navy. 

Find out more about Henry VIII's navy

4. Henry established Deptford and Woolwich as the Royal Dockyards

He chose these locations because they were near to his riverside palace in Greenwich. 

5. Henry was born at Greenwich Palace on 28 June 1491

6. henry had three legitimate children.

Henry had a daughter Mary with Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth with Anne Boleyn, and a son Edward with Jane Seymour. All three children would rule England after Henry’s death, with Elizabeth, the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty, ruling for a celebrated 45 years.

Find out more

7. Henry’s flagship, the Mary Rose , was launched in 1511

After a long and successful career, she sank in 1545 off Portsmouth, during an engagement with a French fleet. She was excavated and successfully raised from the bed of The Solent in 1982, with many artefacts still intact.

What happened to the Mary Rose?

Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits

Shop our london & greenwich gifts range.

Discover the rich royal history of the area where Henry VIII built his first tournament ground, Elizabeth I took daily walks in the Park, and where Inigo Jones built the Queen's House

A Profile of Henry VIII of England

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Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 to 1547. An athletic young man who famously grew much larger later in life, he is best known for having six wives (part of his quest for a male heir) and breaking the English church away from Roman Catholicism. He is arguably the most famous English monarch of all time.

Henry VIII, born June 28, 1491, was the second son of Henry VII. Henry originally had an older brother, Arthur, but he died in 1502, leaving Henry heir to the throne. As a youth, Henry was tall and athletic, frequently engaged in hunting and sport, but also intelligent and academic. He spoke several languages and studied the arts and theological debate. As king, he wrote (with help) a text refuting the claims of Martin Luther, which resulted in the Pope granting Henry the title of "Defender of the Faith." Henry became king on the death of his father in 1509 and was welcomed by his kingdom as a dynamic young man.

Early Years on the Throne, War, and Wolsey

Shortly after acceding to the throne, Henry VIII married Arthur’s widow Catherine of Aragon . He then became active in international and military affairs, pursuing a campaign against France. This was organized by Thomas Wolsey. By 1515, Wolsey had been promoted to Archbishop, Cardinal, and Chief Minister. For much of his early reign, Henry ruled from a distance through the greatly capable Wolsey, who became one of the most powerful ministers in English history and a friend of the king.

Some wondered if Wolsey was in charge of Henry, but this was never the case, and the king was always consulted on key matters. Wolsey and Henry pursued a diplomatic and military policy designed to raise England’s (and thus Henry’s) profile in European affairs, which was dominated by the Spanish-Franco-Habsburg rivalry. Henry displayed little military ability in wars against France , living off one victory at the Battle of the Spurs. After Spain and the Holy Roman Empire became united under Emperor Charles V, and French power was temporarily checked, England became sidelined.

Wolsey Grows Unpopular

Attempts by Wolsey to change England’s alliances to maintain a position of importance brought a backlash, damaging vital income from the English-Netherlands cloth trade. There was upset at home, too, with the regime growing unpopular thanks partly to demands for more taxation. Opposition to a special tax in 1524 was so strong the king had to cancel it, blaming Wolsey. It was at this stage in his rule that Henry VIII entered into a new policy, one which would dominate the rest of his rule: his marriages.

Catherine, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII’s Need for an Heir

Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon had produced just one surviving child: a girl called Mary . As the Tudor line was recent to the English throne, which had little experience of female rule, no one knew if a woman would be accepted. Henry was worried and desperate for a male heir. He had also grown tired of Catherine and fascinated by a woman at the court called Anne Boleyn , sister of one of his mistresses. Anne didn’t want to simply be a mistress, but queen instead. Henry may also have been convinced his marriage to his brother’s widow was a crime in God's eyes, as "proved" by his dying children.

Henry decided to solve the matter by requesting a divorce from Pope Clement VII . After seeking this, he decided to marry Anne. Popes had granted divorces in the past, but now there were problems. Catherine was an aunt to the Holy Roman Emperor, who would be offended by Catherine being shunted to the side, and to whom Clement was subservient. Furthermore, Henry had obtained, at cost, special permission from a previous Pope to marry Catherine, and Clement was loathe to challenge a previous papal action. Permission was refused and Clement dragged a court decision out, leaving Henry worried about how to proceed.

Fall of Wolsey, Rise of Cromwell, Breach With Rome

With Wolsey growing unpopular and failing to negotiate a settlement with the Pope, Henry removed him. A new man of considerable ability now rose to power: Thomas Cromwell. He took control of the royal council in 1532 and engineered a solution which would cause a revolution in English religion and kingship. The solution was a breach with Rome, replacing the Pope as the head of the church in England with the English king himself. In January 1532, Henry married Anne . In May, a new Archbishop declared the previous marriage voided. The Pope excommunicated Henry soon after, but this had little effect.

The English Reformation

Cromwell’s break with Rome was the start of the English Reformation. This wasn’t simply a switch to Protestantism , as Henry VIII had been a passionate Catholic and he took time to come to terms with the changes he made. Consequently, England’s church, which was altered by a series of laws and bought tightly under the control of the king, was a halfway house between Catholic and Protestant. However, some English ministers refused to accept the change and a number were executed for doing so, including Wolsey’s successor, Thomas More. The monasteries were dissolved, their wealth going to the crown.

Six Wives of Henry VIII

The divorce of Catherine and the marriage to Anne was the start of a quest by Henry to produce a male heir which led to his marriages to six wives. Anne was executed for alleged adultery after court intrigue and only producing a girl, the future Elizabeth I . The next wife was Jane Seymour , who died in childbirth producing the future Edward VI. There was then a politically-motivated marriage to Anne of Cleves , but Henry detested her. They were divorced. A few years later, Henry married Catherine Howard , who was later executed for adultery. Henry’s final wife was to be Catherine Parr . She outlived him and was still his wife at the time of Henry's death.

Final Years of Henry VIII

Henry grew ill and fat, and possibly paranoid. Historians have debated the extent to which he was manipulated by his court and the extent to which he manipulated them. He has been called a sad and bitter figure. He ruled without a key minister once Cromwell fell from grace, attempting to stop religious dissension and maintain the identity of a glorious king. After a final campaign against Scotland and France, Henry died on January 28, 1547.

Monster or Great King?

Henry VIII is one of England’s most divisive monarchs. He is most famous for his six marriages, which caused two wives to be executed. He is sometimes called a monster for this and for executing more leading men than any other English monarch on alleged charges of treason. He was aided by some of the greatest minds of his day, but he turned against them. He was arrogant and egotistical. He is both attacked and praised for being the architect of England’s Reformation, which brought the church under crown control but also caused dissension which would lead to further bloodshed. Having increased the holdings of the crown by dissolving the monasteries, he then wasted resources on failed campaigning in France.

Henry VIII's reign was the height of direct monarchical power in England. However, in practice, Cromwell’s policies enlarged Henry’s power but also bound him tighter to Parliament. Henry tried throughout his reign to enhance the image of the throne, making war partly to increase his stature and building up the English navy to do so. He was a fondly-remembered king among many of his subjects. Historian G. R. Elton concluded that Henry was not a great king, for, while a born leader, he had no foresight for where he was taking the nation. But he was not a monster, either, taking no pleasure in casting down former allies.

Elton, G. R. "England Under the Tudors." Routledge Classics, 1st Edition, Routledge, November 2, 2018.

Elton, G. R. "Reform and Reformation: England, 1509-1558." The New History of England, Hardcover, First Edition edition, Harvard University Press, January 26, 1978.

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English History

King Henry VIII – Facts, Information, Biography & Portraits

‘My, you ought to seen old Henry the Eight when he was in bloom. He was a blossom. He used to marry a new wife every day, and chop off her head next morning. And he would do it just as indifferent as if he was ordering up eggs. ‘Fetch up Nell Gwynn,’ he says. They fetch her up. Next morning, ‘Chop off her head!’ And they chop it off. ‘Fetch up Jane Shore,’ he says; and up she comes. Next morning, ‘Chop off her head’ – and they chop it off. ‘Ring up Fair Rosamun.’ Fair Rosamun answers the bell. Next morning, ‘Chop off her head.’ And he made every one of them tell him a tale every night; and he kept that up till he had hogged a thousand and one tales that way, and then he put them all in a book, and called it Domesday Book – which was a good name and stated the case. You don’t know kings, Jim, but I know them; and this old rip of ourn is one of the cleanest I’ve struck in history. Well, Henry he takes a notion he wants to get up some trouble with this country. How does he go at it – give notice? – give the country a show? No. All of a sudden he heaves all the tea in Boston Harbor overboard, and whacks out a declaration of independence, and dares them to come on. That was his style – he never give anybody a chance. He had suspicions of his father, the Duke of Wellington. Well, what did he do? – ask him to show up? No – drownded him in a butt of mamsey, like a cat. Spose people left money laying around where he was – what did he do? He collared it. Spose he contracted to do a thing; and you paid him, and didn’t set down there and see that he done it – what did he do? He always done the other thing. Spose he opened his mouth – what then? If he didn’t shut it up powerful quick, he’d lose a lie, every time. That’s the kind of a bug Henry was…. All I say is, kings is kings, and you got to make allowances. Take them all around, they’re a mighty ornery lot. It’s the way they’re raised.’

I have no fear but when you heard that our Prince, now Henry the Eighth, whom we may call our Octavius, had succeeded to his father’s throne, all your melancholy left you at once. What may you not promise yourself from a Prince with whose extraordinary and almost Divine character you are acquainted? When you know what a hero he now shows himself, how wisely he behaves, what a lover he is of justice and goodness, what affection he bears to the learned I will venture to swear that you will need no wings to make you fly to behold this new and auspicious star. If you could see how all the world here is rejoicing in the possession of so great a Prince, how his life is all their desire, you could not contain your tears for joy. The heavens laugh, the earth exults, all things are full of milk, of honey, of nectar! Avarice is expelled the country. Liberality scatters wealth with bounteous hand. Our King does not desire gold or gems or precious metals, but virtue, glory, immortality. Lord Mountjoy to Erasmus , 1509

A brief discussion of his personality and historical importance

How can one adequately describe Henry’s personality ? Imagine yourself as Henry VIII, the second son suddenly yanked into the spotlight by your older brother’s death. Sheltered and smothered by a father suddenly aware that he has just one heir left; handsome and intelligent and, by turns, both recklessly indulged and then denied. Any of us would have emerged as a mass of contradictions and frustrations. So Henry VIII, crowned king at the prime of his life, just eighteen years old and physically magnificent with more enthusiasm and energy than most of his contemporaries, became a conflicted and confused man. But it is a shame to let the last twenty years of his life color the interpretation of his entire life. One should not see him as simply an ogre king who beheaded two wives, divorced two others, and rejected another in one of the most humiliating ways possible.

His personality was quite amazing; his intelligence, learning, and curiosity impressed even the world-weary ambassadors who littered his court. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable, though it never became the near-mania that haunted Philip II. Henry VIII didn’t spend his declining years surrounded by slips of paper detailing the most minute occurrences in his realm. But he did spend his entire reign reading dispatches, scribbling notations, meeting with diplomats and politicians. Very little occurred in England that escaped his attention; indeed, very little occurred in Europe that escaped Henry VIII. He prided himself on this and well he should; the Spanish ambassador reported that Henry knew of the fall of Cadiz before the Holy Roman Emperor.

He was usually genial company. He loved music and wrote his own. He enjoyed dancing and entertainment. He held countless banquets and tournaments. He enjoyed all physical activities and excelled at most of them. Hunting, archery, tennis, jousting – the king made his court into an endless round of competition and celebration. When he grew older, these former pleasures became torments; like most former athletes, Henry became fat as he aged and the once-loved pastimes became bitter reminders of the ravages of time. And he ruled over a country where almost half the population was 18 years old or younger! Youth was everywhere, staring the old king in his face. We can imagine the effects. Quite naturally, he sought reassurances – from women, his courtiers, his council. Affairs could distract him, but love affairs were never his grand passion. Despite his licentious reputation, Henry VIII was really a 16th century sexual prude; among his European contemporaries, he philandered the least. State affairs indulged his taste for war and glory; family affairs gnawed at his conscience and pride. But Henry VIII did not want distractions. He wanted a grand mission, a defining statement. In the end, he got his wish, though in the most improbable way possible.

He began life as a second son, destined for the church. It was the dream of Henry VII for his eldest son, Arthur, to be king and for his second son, Henry, to be the highest churchman in England. And so, for the first ten years of his life, Henry was a student of theology. And for the next thirty years of his life, he remained a dutiful son of the church. It is ironic, then, that his most significant historical achievement was the destruction of the Roman Catholic faith in England. The impact of the Henrician reformation forever altered the course of English history. Henry VIII, who had indulged in endless diplomatic squabbles and foreign wars, left no grand achievement beyond his own borders. Vast amounts of money were spent on these foreign entanglements – and many lives lost – but, in the end, nothing changed in the European balance of power. England, constantly pulled between the two great continental powers of France and the Holy Roman Empire, nearly bankrupted itself in an attempt to become respected and feared.

Why did Henry ultimately fail in those tasks normally reserved for monarchs? Ultimately, he was a victim of his times. The 16th century was a confusing mess of changing loyalties, betrayals, near-constant fighting, and most importantly, a rising skepticism of that great institution of the fading medieval world, the Roman Catholic church. With the advent of the printing press a century before, literacy and intellectual debate grew rapidly. The High Renaissance in Italy occurred during the first 20 years of Henry VIII’s reign. It was a time of unparalleled scientific experiment, intellectual fervor, and spirited debate. In such a time, traditional views of kingship were bound to change for both the ruler and those he ruled. (As evidence of this confusion, one need only remember that Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor crowned by the Pope, led the brutal sack of Rome in 1527. Charles, supposedly the anointed defender of the papacy, actually ordered his imperial army to loot, pillage, and kill their way through Rome and the Vatican. The pope ended up fleeing to relative safety in his nightshirt.) While reading any biography of Henry VIII, one must remember the flavor of his times and judge him, if at all, by sixteenth-century standards. It’s always amusing to read descriptions of Henry as the lustful tyrant torn between bedding and beheading innocent women; in truth, he blushed at dirty jokes and was more faithful than many 21st century husbands. He was married to Katharine of Aragon for over twenty years and had just a handful of mistresses . He waited years to physically consummate his relationship with Anne Boleyn , and despite being in the prime of his life, remained faithful to her until marriage. Was this sexual prudery a result of his early church training? Perhaps. Whatever the case, it was a hallmark of his life. Henry VIII was always an incurable romantic.

His personal and political decisions were always grandiose, melodramatic, and played for great effect. He loved pomp and pageantry, even as he loathed to deal with the consequences of his actions. Like his father, he was caught in the transition from medieval England to renaissance England. And like his father, he was well-versed in English history and desperate to continue the Tudor dynasty, to secure his claims to Ireland, Scotland, and France, to raise England to the status of its continental neighbors, and to expand his God-given right to rule all Englishmen. When reading about Henry’s political and dynastic ambitions, one is always struck by the wide scope of his desires. Though most came to naught in the end, he actually planned invasions of France, plotted to join Charles V’s invasion of Italy, and intended to seize the Scottish throne. The word ‘ambitious’ hardly does Great Harry justice.

His political ambitions failed and he bequeathed a woeful mess to his nine-year-old heir, Edward VI. His greatest achievement was a dubious one, and one for which he was often eager to distance himself – the Henrician reformation, the end of Roman Catholicism in England and the birth of the Anglican church. The king, for all his contradictions and failures, helped destroy the greatest institution in medieval Europe. Once Germany and England fell to the new heresy, its spread across Europe was inevitable and invincible. In the biography of Henry at this site, I hope to capture both the king’s personality and assess his importance to history. Henry VIII’s reign was as tumultuous as the king himself. If nothing else, it makes for entertaining reading.

Henry Tudor, duke of York: 1491-1502

The second Henry Tudor was born on 28 June 1491 at Greenwich Palace in London. He was the third child of the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, and his wife, Elizabeth Plantagenet, daughter of the Yorkist king, Edward IV. At the time of her second son’s birth, Queen Elizabeth was just 25 years old; her husband was 34, and had been king for almost six years. Those six years had been difficult ones. Henry’s marriage to Elizabeth had helped amass Yorkist support for his rule, but the English people were hardly enthusiastic about Henry, even as they had been noticeably ambivalent about his predecessor, Elizabeth’s uncle, Richard III . Elizabeth was popular with the common people; her young life had all the romance and tragedy necessary for sympathetic gossip and she was a classical fair beauty, possessing all the female virtues necessary for a queen. She was quiet, demure, and charming; she was also content to allow her formidable mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort, assume a position of unprecedented influence over the king.

Elizabeth’s emotional attachment to her husband has been much-debated. In truth, she had known all her life that she would never marry a man of her own choice.

In the end, her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, conspired with Margaret Beaufort for Elizabeth to marry Henry Tudor , exiled son of Henry VI’s half-brother. Henry was, by all accounts, grateful for the match. He appreciated its political implications. He also respected his new queen and was faithful to his marriage vows, an unusual trait in a king. Upon her marriage, Elizabeth entered a semi-retirement – she was queen and her duty was to produce as many heirs as possible. Nine months after her marriage, she gave birth to her first child at St Swithin’s Priory in Winchester, a prince named Arthur. Henry and Elizabeth had wed on 18 January 1486 at Westminster Abbey in London; Prince Arthur was born 20 September 1486. Three years later, Elizabeth gave birth to their second child, a princess called Margaret after Henry VII’s mother. She was born on 28 November 1489 at Westminster Palace in London. For the new king, the birth of a healthy second child, and his wife’s rapid recovery, were good omens. Even as he attempted to enforce his rule in the always troublesome northern England which had been Richard III’s base of support, Henry VII could rest assured that his dynasty was becoming secure. But it was only on 28 June 1491, when another healthy prince was born, this time at Greenwich Palace, that Henry VII could breathe a sigh of relief. This second son was a necessary insurance policy for the new Tudor dynasty . Childhood mortality was high and diseases such as small pox, the sweating sickness, and the plague were rife throughout England. A king needed as many healthy heirs as possible, and the birth of a second son was an occasion for celebration.

On 27 February 1490, Prince Arthur was titled prince of Wales at Westminster Palace in London; this was the real beginning of a tradition that continues to this day. And in 1494, Arthur’s baby brother was titled duke of York, the traditional title of the king’s brother. At this early age, all we know of Prince Henry was that he was considered a handsome and precocious toddler, but one would expect such descriptions of the king’s son. He did not share his brother’s fair coloring or slight build. Prince Henry was a sturdy, strawberry-blond boy noted for his energy and temper. Just a year after his birth, his mother bore another daughter; this child was called Elizabeth and she died three years later. It was the first in a series of tragedies for the young queen. She and Henry VII were considered good and affectionate parents, but they never lost sight of the political importance of their children. Together they decided that Prince Henry, like most second sons, was destined for the church, and his early schooling was planned accordingly. This strong emphasis upon theology and its esoteric debates remained with Henry for the rest of his life and made him feel uniquely qualified to interpret religious law during the 1520s.

Heir apparent: 1502-1509

Henry’s position as the second son lasted only until 2 April 1502, just a few months before his eleventh birthday. It was on that day that his brother Arthur died at Ludlow Castle, the government seat of the prince of Wales. The insecurity of the Tudor succession was suddenly unavoidable. Elizabeth of York , despite repeated pregnancies, had not borne another healthy son; after Henry’s birth, there was just one more male child – a son called Edmund, born in 1499 and dead just a year later. The queen did become pregnant shortly after Arthur’s death but this eighth pregnancy proved to be her last. The child, called Katherine, was born and died on 2 February 1503. Elizabeth contracted an infection and died a few days later, on 11 February, her thirty-seventh birthday. So in the short space of a year, Henry lost both his older brother and mother. But the effects of these losses was felt even more keenly by Henry VII. His reign had proved to be neither peaceful or happy. He was beset by worries – constant diplomatic maneuvering, subjects who mocked him as a cold-hearted, tax-hungry miser, and now he had lost his son and wife. Arthur’s death was more than a personal tragedy; it was a political tragedy as well. The young prince had been married to Princess Katharine of Aragon on 14 November 1501 at St.Paul’s Cathedral, London. The daughter of the ‘Catholic Kings’ of Spain, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, Katharine’s marriage to the Tudor heir had marked the high point of Henry VII’s foreign diplomacy. His grip on the English throne had long been considered both illegitimate and untenable by most European powers, except in cases where it suited their interests to pretend otherwise. But a bond of marriage between the house of Tudor and the ruling dynasty of Spain gave Henry’s rule a stamp of approval. He was now allied with one of the most powerful ruling families in Europe. Prince Henry met his sister-in-law and future wife on this momentous occasion, heading the procession that led her to the cathedral. Later, he officially introduced her to the citizens of London.

With Arthur’s death , his teenage wife was trapped in England while Henry VII squabbled with her father over the remaining payments on her dowry. Henry VII was perhaps even then mulling over the idea of not letting the all-important Spanish alliance go to waste. Soon enough he was openly proposing that Katharine marry young Prince Henry, now the heir apparent and five years her junior. What did young Prince Henry know of these plans? Probably very little. After Arthur’s death, Henry VII became somewhat paranoid and tried desperately to protect his only son from any injury or illness. People who wished to visit the young prince had to receive permission from Henry VII, and this remained the case well into the boy’s adolescence. Such strict rules may have irked the heir but they did not interfere with his continuing education. While his older brother was in Wales learning the intricacies of government, Henry received a primarily classical education, mastering Latin and French and becoming an excellent and exuberant athlete. Contemporary sources make it clear that he was a happy child, fond of sports and spectacle, and equally proud of his intellectual accomplishments. In short, he possessed all the personality and charm his father noticeably lacked. Both his physical appearance and character were similar to those of his Plantagenet grandfather Edward IV. This fact was much remarked upon by those Englishmen who had lived through the last years of the Wars of the Roses .

Luckily for Prince Henry, his father spent the last years of his reign establishing good relationships with other monarchs and avoiding expensive war; also, his fondness for extorting money from an unwilling populace never wavered. He left his son a king’s greatest gift – a healthy treasury. Ironically, one of Henry VIII’s first acts as king was to execute his father’s most productive, and hence most notorious, tax collectors. But Henry VII never really decided whether he wanted to marry Prince Henry to Katharine of Aragon . He kept the young princess in England for seven years while he toyed with the idea. Her living conditions steadily deteriorated; she was miserably unhappy, many of her Spanish attendants were sent home, she lacked money for even basic necessities. Food and adequate clothing were constant concerns. She struggled to bear her hardships with the serene and regal dignity that was ingrained in her character as a princess of Spain, and such calm in the face of deprivation impressed young Prince Henry. It is certainly true that even years later, in the midst of an acrimonious separation, he never lost his respect for Katharine. This respect was always tinged with a bit of fear. He was keenly aware of her great ancestry and extensive education, her self-deprecating wit and complete mastery of all feminine tasks. Even as queen of England, she took particular pride in sewing and mending Henry’s shirts.

They had little contact during the later years of Henry VII’s reign, only meeting occasionally at events. Henry was formally promised in marriage to Katharine on 23 June 1503; the treaty stated that he would marry Katharine on his fifteenth birthday, 28 June 1505, and that her parents send over 100,000 crowns worth of plate and jewels in addition to the dowry she had given when married to Prince Arthur. Henry VII was a stickler on the dowry issue, refusing to allow the marriage to be solemnized, much less celebrated and consummated, until the money arrived. But the Spaniards were as loathe to part with money as Henry. So 1505 came and went with no marriage though Prince Henry referred in letters to Katharine as his ‘most dear and well-beloved consort, the princess my wife’. But his father was still king, and his father refused to allow the marriage. To strengthen his bargaining power with the Spaniards, he had Prince Henry make a formal protest to Richard Fox, the bishop of Winchester, disowning the marriage contract. Both parties prevaricated – until 1509, when Henry VII suddenly died at the age of 52, and his headstrong son, chafing at his father’s authority, was free to make his own decisions. To the surprise of all, including the Spaniards, he promptly announced he would marry Katharine and crown her queen of England.

After years of being shut away from the world, he was now king. All of the boundless energy and enthusiasm of his character was unleashed. Perhaps out of chivalry, or adolescent affection, or, as he later claimed, out of respect for his father’s wishes, he wed his late brother’s wife. In light of future events, it is worth noting that the dowry had not been the only sticking-point in the marriage plans – there was the not insignificant fact that Katharine had been married to Henry’s brother, and her marriage to Henry would be regarded as incestuous and unacceptable to the church. As Henry VIII would later argue, Leviticus clearly stated that a man was forbidden to marry his brother’s widow. For her part, Katharine claimed, and her duenna, Dona Elvira, agreed, that her marriage to Arthur had never been consummated. The young prince of Wales had been suffering from consumption for months, even before the wedding, and their wedding night had passed uneventfully. If this was true, and it seems to have been (until it was in Henry VIII’s interests for it not to be), there was no barrier to her union with Henry. Both the English and Spanish courts sought the requisite papal dispensation. It was granted and the path to marriage was clear.

His Majesty is the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on; above the usual height, with an extremely fine calf to his leg, his complexion very fair and bright, auburn hair combed straight and short, in the French fashion, and a round face so very beautiful that it would become a pretty woman, his throat being rather long and thick…. He will enter his twenty-fifth year the month after next. He speaks French, English and Latin, and a little Italian, plays well on the lute and harpsichord, sings from book at sight, draws the bow with greater strength than any man in England and jousts marvelously…. a most accomplished Prince. the Venetian diplomat Pasqualigo in a dispatch, 1515

1509-1526: Katharine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey and Princess Mary

Henry was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey on 23 June 1509. He had married Katharine on 11 June at Grey Friars Church in Greenwich and she shared his coronation. It was a splendid event and continued throughout midsummer with much celebration and spectacle. There is an account of the coronation at the Primary Sources section. It was soon clear that the young king, who turned 18 just a few days after his coronation, had little interest in the day-to-day business of government. While it is true that Henry was a vocal participant at council meetings, the early years of his reign were devoted more to enjoyment than the drudgery of administration. He was content to allow trusted nobles and ecclesiastics to rule in his name – William Warham, archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey and later 2d duke of Norfolk, Bishop Richard Foxe, and, beginning around 1514, Thomas Wolsey .

As mentioned earlier, one of the first acts of Henry’s reign was a particularly brutal one, especially designed to benefit his popularity. He ordered the executions of his father’s most productive and hated tax collectors, Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson. It was a bloody beginning for his reign and a taste of things to come. Certainly it pleased the English people for most tax collectors were hated, and Dudley and Empson had been particularly ruthless. But their efficiency had the complete support of King Henry VII, whose orders they followed. A problem had emerged for the new king – how could he execute the tax collectors when their only crime was to obey their king? He resorted, for the first but not the last time, to judicial murder, charging the men with ‘constructive treason’. It was a wholly fictitious charge which no one fully understood, even those at the trial. This cold-blooded act pleased the people and demonstrated Henry’s desire for popular approval. But it also revealed a ruthlessness to his character that grew more pronounced as the years passed. Many historians argue that Henry grew tyrannical only after Katharine of Aragon failed to provide an heir but the evidence proves otherwise. If someone could not be legally executed, the king simply invented a new charge. For example, in 1513, before leaving for war in France, he executed Edmund de la Pole , his Plantagenet cousin held prisoner in the Tower since Henry VII’s reign. A benign spirit, locked away for most of his life, Edmund was no threat to anyone. But Henry executed him to remind his subjects that, though he would be in France, any challenge to his authority would be met with grave displeasure.

His marriage to Katharine was very happy, at least during these early years. She had a more reserved character than her husband and blushed at his ribald jests, but she entered into the spirit of frivolity which pervaded their court. There was dancing and music, for Henry was a splendid dancer and musician; he composed songs and wrote poetry, most of which has survived and is quite lovely. He also enjoyed hunting, sometimes tiring ten horses during a single hunt, and jousting; by all accounts, he was the greatest athlete at the court. And he was a dedicated and affectionate husband. Everything he built was decorated with an intertwined H and K, and Katharine’s pomegranates were carved next to Tudor roses. He called himself the ‘Knight of the Loyal Heart’ and bowed before his queen after each grueling tournament. He also involved Katharine in the seemingly endless visits of foreign dignitaries, inviting the ambassadors to her apartments and openly seeking her advice and opinion. It was clear that they loved and respected one another, and those early years made his eventual disinterest all the more painful for the queen to bear. Katharine bore their first child on 31 January 1510, just six months after their coronation. It was a girl, born too early to survive.

The next birth, on 1 January 1511, was a far happier occasion. It was a boy, called Henry after his father and titled duke of Cornwall. The delighted father planned celebrations to rival his coronation. The boy was apparently healthy yet died about two months later. The cause was unknown, but it was an age of high infant mortality. The young parents were devastated. Henry consoled himself by waging war against France, courtesy of his father-in-law Ferdinand of Aragon, and Katharine’s fierce piety led her to kneel for hours on cold stone floors in prayer. But Henry’s attempts to gain glory on the battlefield were misplaced. In June 1512, the marquess of Dorset sailed out of Southampton, bound for Gascony with 12,000 troops. They reached the port of Fuentarrabia, where they were to join the Spanish and attack Bayonne. But the Spanish troops never arrived. Ferdinand, without consulting his son-in-law, attacked and seized Navarre instead and then declared the ‘Holy War’ over. He had essentially used Henry’s troops as bait; when the French went off to fight the English, Ferdinand seized his chance and attacked Navarre. To top off his treachery, he also openly criticized the English soldiers who, without receiving his permission, had sailed home after waiting four months at Fuentarrabia. Henry was too embarrassed by his soldiers’ mutiny to call his father-in-law’s bluff.

Desperate to erase the memory of that military blunder, he planned a grand campaign for the spring of 1513. His ambassadors even secured the support of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. He joined the ‘Holy Alliance’ of England and Spain to attack France. But once again Ferdinand’s self-interest ruled the day. He went behind his allies’ backs to make a secret truce with Louis XII of France, and so he kept Navarre peacefully. This happened in March 1513 and suitably angered Henry. But the English king had learned a lesson from his previous blunder. His forces were launched from England’s only possession on the continent, Calais in northern France. The Spanish would not be involved. On 1 August 1513, about a month after he left England, Henry besieged the town of Therouanne. Two centuries before, Edward III had seized that city after the great battle of Crecy. With Maximilian by his side (actually as his subordinate; he allowed Henry command of his troops in exchange for paying their salaries), Henry won a victory within a fortnight. The capture of a duke, marquis, and vice-admiral fleeing the scene helped raise substantial ransoms. He gave the town to Maximilian as a gift and the emperor ordered it razed to the ground. Their next battle was one month later at Tournai. It surrendered after eight days and Henry decided it would become another English stronghold within France.

He had left Katharine in charge at home, officially titled Governor of the Realm and Captain-General of the Armed Forces, an honor never allowed his other wives. She had been resoundingly successful. France and Scotland had an ‘Auld Alliance’ against England, and James IV of Scotland, married to Henry’s sister Margaret Tudor , had responded to English aggression against his ally. He led his armies into northern England. Thomas Howard, the earl of Surrey, took the few English troops left in the nation to meet him. The armies clashed at Flodden Edge, between Berwick and the Cheviots. Three hours of fighting ended the Scottish threat. The evening of 9 September 1513 saw over 10,000 Scots dead, including most of their aristocracy. James IV himself was killed. Had Henry’s attention been focused on his own country, he could have seized a golden opportunity – with James dead and the high nobility of Scotland destroyed, he could have marched into Edinburgh and seized his sister Margaret and her infant son, now King James V. But instead he remained enthralled with dreams of European conquest, perhaps comparing himself to his hero, Henry V. And these dreams were encouraged by news that the Pope had, in secret, promised to recognize Henry as king of France if he could physically seize possession of the country. This generous offer had been inspired by French meddling in papal affairs.

During this triumphant time, Katharine lost another child. In November 1513, another prince, also called Henry, duke of Cornwall, was born and soon died. It was the third miscarriage in as many years. Was Henry worried? He was still young, as was Katharine, and had been king for just five years. He was naturally optimistic, though undoubtedly disappointed. Once again, the queen was on her knees in prayer. Perhaps she felt the losses more keenly. In letters to her father, she blamed herself. She clearly saw the dead children as a reproof of some sort, a failure to fulfill the most basic feminine role. But she was able to send Henry the bloody coat of the Scottish king; it may have been some consolation.

Still, in 1514, as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey extended his control of government, Katharine had reason to become wary. The golden happiness of the first years with Henry was wearing thin. Her father had betrayed her husband openly and scornfully, treating them both as little more than foolish children. She had been her father’s best ambassador, heedlessly pressing his claims upon Henry, using the natural affection between husband and wife to urge alliances with Spain. She felt the sting of her father’s betrayals. He had lied to her, misled her, and tricked her into betraying her husband. It was clear that her primary loyalty must be to Henry and the English people; she would never trust Ferdinand again. In 1514, the king returned home and his councilors told him that Henry VII’s great treasury was fast running low. War with France was too costly to continue. Henry had seized Tournai and made the competent Thomas Wolsey its bishop, but more extensive campaigning was out of the question. In this, the king surprisingly agreed. He had won his share of glory – at least for now – and it would be enough. And Ferdinand’s betrayal had been met with a suitable reply. Henry’s younger sister Mary, the most beautiful of the Tudor children, had been betrothed to Ferdinand’s nephew, the duke of Burgundy, but now Henry made peace with France and promised Mary to Louis XII, three times her age and suffering from gout.

Henry’s new desire for peace with France, England’s traditional enemy, was encouraged by Spanish duplicity. But itwas also due to the growing influence of Wolsey. Derisively called ‘Master Almoner’ by those jealous of his influence, Wolsey came from a humble background and, like most talented and ambitious men from poor families, he used the church to advance in society. He attended Oxford and showed such promise that he was made bursar of Magdalen College and then chaplain to Archbishop Deane. In 1507, in his thirties and now well-connected, he became chaplain to Henry VII. Upon Henry VIII’s accession, Wolsey received a seat on the council and was made king’s almoner. This position allowed him personal contact with the young, impressionable monarch. He accompanied Henry to France during the successful campaigns of 1513, where he was made bishop of Tournai, and their close relationship grew stronger. Henry appreciated Wolsey’s dedication to administrative detail and hard work. And both Warham and Fox, the two senior councilors Henry inherited from his father, regarded Wolsey as their protégé. They were quite happy to retire to their dioceses, leaving the younger man to deal with the headstrong and rash young king. One can easily sympathize with Warham and Fox since Henry VIII’s personality was quite different from his father’s. The most obvious difference was that he spent money with the same passion his father had collected it.

But it is important to remember that Henry VIII never completely abandoned his power to Wolsey, though court gossip believed otherwise. He carefully read the Cardinal’s dispatches and proved himself well-informed about domestic and foreign affairs when dealing with ambassadors. Also, Henry possessed a lifelong love of keeping his subjects, noble or common, on their toes; he enjoyed indulging his taste for surprises. In banquets, this showed itself in his passion for elaborate costumes in which his identity was hidden. His subjects would guess which costume hid their king, to the delight of all. Once, he and several courtiers dressed as Robin Hood and his band of outlaws and then broke into Katharine of Aragon’s apartments. The queen, used to such antics, wisely played along but several of her ladies were terrified. At the Primary Sources section, you can read about Henry’s first meeting with his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves; he disguised himself at their first meeting, to the amusement of his nobles and the confusion of the lady. At times, this love of surprise – of keeping those close to him on an uneven keel – was downright cruel. He would later allow his councilors to plan Thomas Cranmer’s arrest, only to tell the archbishop their plan in secret. When the soldiers arrived, they were openly embarrassed and thwarted when Cranmer revealed his knowledge of the plan and the king’s pardon. And his sixth and final wife, Katharine Parr, was likewise surprised. Walking in her garden with Henry, she was accosted by soldiers intending to arrest her. Their warrant had been signed by Henry himself. But when they attempted to seize the queen, Henry cursed them, beat several of them about the head and shoulders, and demanded they beg Katharine’s forgiveness. One can imagine the guards’ confusion.

All of these instances serve to illustrate Henry’s desire to remain in control, to hold absolute power in his hands always. As king, he could give orders but it was also his privilege to immediately change his mind without bothering to consult anyone. His will was law. And so he demonstrated his power by doing exactly as he liked, oftimes choosing the perfect moment to throw everyone off guard and demonstrate his complete authority. It may have seemed irrational to his contemporaries, and also to us, but it was quite an effective policy. It meant that no one ever really knew where they stood with the king. And so, not knowing his true feelings, they were all the more eager to sycophantically fawn over him and seek his approval.

This strain of the king’s character was perhaps a bit more light-hearted in the early years of his reign but, like most of Henry’s good qualities, it soon developed an ugly cast. His mutability was certainly recognized by Wolsey, and famously by Sir Thomas More , and later led to the Cardinal’s downfall. But in the early years of their relationship, as Wolsey’s genius for administration and diplomacy led him to amass great titles and wealth, the men got along amazingly well. This continued for over a dozen years. In 1514, Wolsey was titled archbishop of York, and in 1515 he became a cardinal and lord chancellor, and in 1518 he was made papal legate. As archbishop of York, he lived at York Palace and to most outside observers this was the real seat of government power. Messengers rode constantly between York and Henry’s palaces.

For a long while, both Wolsey and Henry were focused on foreign affairs. Wolsey was a Francophile and desired peace between the traditional enemies. He used Ferdinand’s treacherous behavior to encourage a marriage between Henry’s sister and Louis XII. This pro-France policy naturally placed him at odds with Katharine of Aragon. Though she recognized her father’s treachery and protected her marriage by no longer pressing Spanish claims, she was still the daughter of the Spanish king. Wolsey didn’t trust her, which certainly wasn’t surprising. Katharine developed a natural antipathy to the Cardinal as well. She was a deeply pious woman, growing more so as she aged. She thought Wolsey far too worldly to be a man of the church. She favored councilors like Thomas More and John Fisher, bishop of Rochester, men whose dedication to the church was as passionate as her own. She was also peeved that her role as Henry’s confidante and advisor was slowly stolen away by Wolsey. Katharine was jealous of the Cardinal’s influence with her husband, particularly since it meant a subsequent decline in her own influence. The king no longer brought foreign ambassadors to her rooms and he no longer sought her opinions. It was as if her father’s betrayals implicated her. Wolsey was the consummate diplomat, skilled at flattering the queen when they met, but their mutual dislike was open knowledge at court.

In December 1514, Katharine suffered another miscarriage; it was her fourth, and the third son. It was particularly galling for her since earlier that year Henry had taken his first public mistress. He was not a lecher, and certainly less victimized by lust than his fellow monarchs, particularly Francis I of France. But kings take mistresses and around New Years’ 1514, Henry’s eye was caught by Elizabeth Blount. She was the cousin of Lord Mountjoy and one of Katharine’s ladies-in-waiting. Bessie was pretty and vivacious, and quite happy to bask in the king’s attention. And she had his attention for several years, which once more proves Henry’s monogamous streak. And he did not neglect his wife. On 18 February 1516, Katharine and Henry’s luck changed. Their only surviving child, a princess called Mary, was born. She was healthy and survived the difficult early months of infancy. Henry was proud, if disappointed, and told an ambassador: ‘We are both young. If it was a daughter this time, by the grace of God the sons will follow.’

One can easily understand Henry’s disappointment. He was a good father to Mary in those early years, proudly carrying her about and showing her off to visitors. But he was perhaps aware that time was running out for a male heir to be born. There are indications that he explored the idea of divorcing Katharine as early as 1518. An English courtier had supposedly visited the Vatican on an exploratory mission earlier that year. And gossip about Katharine’s miscarriages had spread through the English court as early as 1514.

Henry was still affectionate towards Katharine, and they remained intimate for several years after Mary’s birth, as evidenced by other pregnancies. But perhaps the bloom of the relationship had gone. His wife looked older than her years, her body worn out by ceaseless pregnancies and births. She was by nature a reserved and serious person; her mind dwelt constantly upon the failure of her most important duty as queen. On 10 November 1518, her last child – another daughter – was born, and died. Special doctors summoned from Spain arrived to help the queen conceive again. They were unsuccessful. Henry publicly vowed to lead a crusade against the Turks if God granted him a son.

But it was not to be, at least not with Katharine of Aragon. In 1519, Elizabeth Blount , his young mistress, bore him a healthy son. Henry was ecstatic. Here at last was proof that the king could father sons. Henry named the boy after himself, giving him the last name ‘Fitzroy’, the traditional surname of royal bastards. He would soon lavish so many titles upon the boy that Katharine felt it necessary to remind him that Princess Mary was his heir. Henry publicly chastised her and, in a fit of spite, sent several of her favorite attendants back to Spain.

Now we come to an important moment in what came to be called ‘the king’s great matter’ (Henry’s attempt to annul his marriage to Katharine.) Fitzroy’s birth proved Henry could have a son, and no one could deny Katharine’s fertility. It is doubtful Henry ever blamed her for the failure to produce a male heir after witnessing the endless cycle of pregnancies and prayer. Yet why had he and Katharine been unable to produce a living son between them? Naturally enough, the king’s mind turned to God. It must be God’s will that they had no male heir. But what had he done to offend God? Henry searched for an answer and soon found it quite easily. In the Bible, Leviticus XVIII, 16 clearly stated ‘Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness’. And, later, in chapter XX, ‘If a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless’. What could be more clear? The Bible itself condemned his marriage to Katharine. The pope’s dispensation was meaningless.

And so began one of the most fascinating decades in English history .

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Henry Viii Biography

Born: June 28, 1491 Greenwich, England Died: January 28, 1547 Westminster, England King of England

Henry VIII was king of England from 1509 to 1547. He established the Church of England and strengthened the position of king. But much of Henry VIII's legacy lies in his string of marriages during a quest for a son who would one day take his throne.

From boy to king

The second son of Henry VII (1457–1509), Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491, at England's Greenwich Palace. As a child he studied Latin, Spanish, French, and Italian. He also studied mathematics, music, and theology (study of religion). Henry became an accomplished musician and played the lute, the organ, and the harpsichord. He also liked to hunt, wrestle, and joust (to fight on horseback). He also mastered the craft of archery.

Upon his father's death on April 21, 1509, Henry succeeded to a peaceful kingdom. He married Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536), widow of his brother Arthur, on June 11. Thirteen days later they were crowned at Westminster Abbey.

Foreign policy

As king of England, Henry moved quickly on a pro-Spanish and anti-French policy. In 1511, together with Spain, Pope Julius II, and others, Henry formed an alliance called the Holy League, in an attempt to drive French king Louis XII out of Italy. Henry claimed the French crown and sent troops to invade France. The bulk of the work in preparing for the invasion fell to Thomas Wolsey (c.1475–1530), who became Henry's trusted war minister. Henry's army won a great victory in France at Guinegate, and the capture of Tournai and Théorouanne.

Peace was made in 1514 with France as well as with the Scots, who invaded England and were defeated at Flodden (September 9, 1513). The marriage of Henry's sister, Mary, to Louis XII (1462–1515) sealed the French treaty. The marriage would secure a worthy alliance (partnership), but Henry longed for greater power. But not even the work of Wolsey, however, could win Henry the precious crown of the Holy Roman Empire. With deep disappointment he saw it bestowed in 1519 on Charles, the Spanish king. He tried to secure Wolsey's election as pope in 1523 but failed.

The search for a son

In 1525 Catherine turned forty, fairly old for someone in the sixteenth century. Her seven pregnancies produced only one healthy child, Mary, born May 18, 1516. Afraid of not having a legitimate (legal) male heir, Henry believed Catherine's inability to give birth to a boy was a judgment from God. Soon, Henry began an affair with Anne Boleyn (c.1507–1536), a servant to Catherine.

Henry's strategy to rid himself of his wife matured when Thomas Cromwell (c. 1455–1540) became a councilor and his chief minister. Cromwell forced the clergy (Church officials) to meet in 1531 and accept Henry's headship of the Church. This position would allow Henry to finally annul his marriage. Anne's pregnancy in January 1533 brought matters to a head. In a fever of activity Henry married her on January 25, 1533; secured papal approval in March; had a court declare his marriage to Catherine invalid in May; and waited for the birth of a son. On September 7, 1533, Elizabeth was born. Henry was so disappointed that he did not attend her christening.

A third marriage

Anne's attitude and moody temperament did not suit Henry, and her failure to produce a male heir worsened their relationship. She miscarried (a premature birth which results in the baby's death) a baby boy on January 27, 1536. It was a costly miscarriage, for Henry was already interested in another woman, Jane Seymour. Now determined on a second divorce, Henry brought charges of treason (high crimes against one's country) against Anne for alleged adultery (having affairs outside the marriage). Henry had her executed on May 19 and married Jane ten days later.

Jane brought a measure of comfort to Henry's personal life. She also produced a son and heir, Edward, on October 12, 1537. But Jane died twelve days later. Henry was deeply grieved, and he did not remarry for three years. He was not in good health and suffered from headaches, a painful leg problem, and blockage in his lungs which made him temporarily speechless.

War and marriage

The course of diplomatic (political) events, particularly the fear that Spanish king Charles V (1500–1548) might attempt an invasion of England, led Henry to seek an alliance with the Protestant powers of Europe. To solidify this alliance, Henry married the Protestant princess Anne of Cleves on January 12, 1540. His realization that Charles did not intend to attack, coupled with his distaste for Anne, led to the annulment of his marriage to Anne on July 9, 1540.

Henry was soon introduced to the nineteen-year-old Catherine Howard. He married Catherine within three weeks of his annulment to Anne of Cleves and entered into the later years of his life. In 1542, Catherine was beheaded on charges of adultery. The same year, the Scottish war began as did plans for renewed hostilities with France. War with France began in 1543 and dragged on for three years, achieving a solitary triumph before Boulogne (1545).

Henry then married the twice-widowed Catherine Parr on July 12, 1543. Though she bore him no children, she made him happy. Her religious views were somewhat more radical than those of Henry, who had revised the conservative Six Articles (1539) with his own hand. During his last years he attempted to slow the radical religious tendencies which resulted from the formal break with Rome.

The king was unwell in late 1546 and early 1547, suffering from terrible fevers. Before he died on January 28, 1547, Henry reflected that "the mercy of Christ [is] able to pardon me all my sins, though they were greater than they be."

The legacy of Henry VIII

Henry came to the throne with great gifts and high hopes. His relentless search for an heir led him into an accidental reformation of the Church not entirely to his liking. His desire to cut a figure on the European battlefields led him into costly wars.

Though personally interested in education, Henry sponsored no far-reaching educational policies. However, his interest in naval matters resulted in a larger navy and a well-developed naval administration. He brought Wales more fully into union with the English by the Statute of Wales (1536) and made Ireland a kingdom (1542). The great innovations came out of the Reformation Statutes, not the least of which was the Act in Restraint of Appeals, in which England was declared an empire, and the Act of Supremacy, in which Henry became supreme head of the Anglican Church.

Henry ruled ruthlessly in a ruthless age. He was a king who wished to be succeeded by a son, and for this cause he bravely and rashly risked the anger of the other rulers in Europe. That he did what he did is a testament to his will, personal gifts, and good fortune.

For More Information

Lacey, Robert. The Life and Times of Henry VIII. New York: Praeger, 1974.

Scarisbrick, J. J. Henry VIII. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968.

Smith, Lacey Baldwin. Henry VIII: The Mask of Royalty. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1971.

Weir, Alison. Henry VIII: The King and His Court. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.

Weir, Alison. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. London: Bodley Head, 1991.

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Henry VIII summary

Henry VIII , (born June 28, 1491, Greenwich, near London, Eng.—died Jan. 28, 1547, London), King of England (1509–47). Son of Henry VII , Henry married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon (the mother of Mary I ), soon after his accession in 1509. His first chief minister, Thomas Cardinal Wolsey , exercised nearly complete control over policy in 1515–27. In 1527 Henry pursued a divorce from Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn, but Pope Clement VII denied him an annulment. Wolsey, unable to help Henry, was ousted. The new minister, Thomas Cromwell , in 1532 initiated a revolution when he decided that the English church should separate from Rome, allowing Henry to marry Anne in 1533. A new archbishop, Thomas Cranmer , declared the first marriage annulled. A daughter, Elizabeth I , was born to Anne soon after. Becoming head of the Church of England represented Henry’s major achievement, but it had wide-ranging consequences. Henry, once profoundly devoted to the papacy and rewarded with the title Defender of the Faith, was excommunicated, and he was obliged to settle the nature of the newly independent church. In the 1530s his power was greatly enlarged, especially by transferring to the crown the wealth of the monasteries and by new clerical taxes, but his earlier reputation as a man of learning became buried under his enduring fame as a man of blood. Many, including St. Thomas More , were killed because they refused to accept the new order. The king grew tired of Anne, and in 1536 she was executed for adultery. He immediately married Jane Seymour, who bore him a son, Edward VI, but died in childbirth. Three years later, at Cromwell’s instigation, he married Anne of Cleves, but he hated her and demanded a quick divorce; he had Cromwell beheaded in 1540. By now Henry was becoming paranoid, as well as enormously fat and unhealthy. In 1540 he married Catherine Howard, but in 1542 he had her beheaded for adultery. Also in 1542 he waged a financially ruinous war against Scotland. In 1543 he married Catherine Parr, who survived him. He was succeeded on his death by his son, Edward.

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The life and reign of King Henry VIII

Check out the fascinating life of this fierce monarch….

Meet one of the most infamous Tudors  in our Henry VIII facts!

Henry VIII facts

Who was henry viii.

Henry VIII was King of England and Ireland from 21 April 1509 until 28 January 1547 , and is perhaps one of the most famous monarchs in English history.

Born on 28 June 1491  at Greenwich Palace in London, Henry was the second eldest son to  Henry VII and Elizabeth of York .

The young prince was never expected to become king, but when his older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales , died unexpectedly at the age of 15, Henry became heir to the throne.

Upon the death of his father, Henry was coronated on 24 June 1509 — he was just 17 years old . He immediately set about marrying his elder brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon .

What was Henry VIII like?

The young King Henry was said to be handsome, clever and fun in contrast to his boring father. He was over six feet tall and loved jousting , hunting , composing   music and throwing big, expensive parties!

He loved spending money. The Tudor era was a time of great change, new ideas were emerging about science, art, design and culture, and great sailing expeditions uncovered new lands. Henry wanted to show off all his wealth and built many magnificent palaces — like Hampton Court Palace — and castles that would impress his subjects and rivals.

But, in his later years, all that indulgence took its toll on his physical health. The older King Henry was hugely overweight and struggled to walk. At the age of 50 he had a 54-inch (137cm) waist! He also suffered from a gruesome ulcer on his leg that caused him constant pain — which may have explained his bad temper!

Henry is known for being a ruthless King who ruled with an iron fist. Strong-willed and bullish, he handed out executions to anyone who stood in his way. In fact, during his 38-year reign, it is said he had more than  70,000 people executed — yikes !

Henry VIII and the English Reformation

One of the biggest changes that Henry brought about during his reign was the English Reformation .

After 24 years of marriage, his first wife, Catherine, had failed to give Henry a male heir. Frustrated, he went to the Pope to ask for a divorce, but the Pope wouldn’t allow it.

Unhappy, Henry took matters into his own hands. He broke away from the Catholic Church , creating his own Church of England and   naming himself the head. He appointed his friend Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury , and made him grant a divorce — easy ! Thus ended the first (there were to be many more!) of Henry’s marriages.

The religious reform caused widespread divide in England , with many people disliking the new church. Followers of the new church were known as protestants , whereas worshippers of the Roman Catholic Church were called Catholics . There was often tension and clashes between the two groups — an unrest that would last for many years.

Henry’s actions were revolutionary because they changed the identity of English religion. If it weren’t for Henry’s desperate desire for a male heir, the reformation may never have happened, and English religion could have been very different today.

Henry VIII’s wives

Perhaps one of the most well-publicised parts of Henry’s life was his many wives – six in total!

Read more about them in our fab feature, the wives of King Henry VIII .

Henry viii’s children.

Henry was desperate for a male heir to inherit his throne. There were many pregnancies, but only three of his children survived infancy.

Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon , had many pregnancies but unfortunately most ended in stillbirths. The royal couple were thrilled when their first-born son,  Henry ,   was born in  1511.  A lavish party was thrown, but sadly he only lived until he was seven weeks old.

The only surviving child from Henry and Catherine of Aragon’s marriage was a daughter – born in 1516 – who they named  Mary . Once Catherine was no longer Queen, she was forbidden from seeing or communicating with her daughter, although they sent each other secret letters until Catherine’s death. Mary later went on to become Mary I , the first Queen of England and Ireland (ruling in her own right).

Henry’s next child, born during his marriage to Anne Boleyn , was a baby girl, Elizabeth , whom they named after Henry’s mother. Elizabeth was a healthy baby but after Henry had Anne executed (awkward!), he had little to do with Elizabeth’s upbringing.

In 1537 , Henry’s dream of a son finally came true when his third wife, Jane Seymour , gave birth to  Prince Edward . The celebrations didn’t last long however, as less than two weeks later, the Queen died due to complications from the birth.

No children came from his next three marriages.

Who succeeded Henry VIII?

Henry died in 1547 at the age of 55 , obese and riddled with health issues.   He was buried in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle next to his third wife and mother to his only surviving son, Jane .

Upon his death, the son that Henry had so desperately wanted inherited the throne as Edward VI . He was just nine years old !

What is Henry VIII remembered for?

Henry is often remembered as a fierce King who loved eating, drinking and partying, with a fancy for chopping people’s heads off! But he is also seen as a great symbol of our monarchy.

He was a controversial King who made many scandalous and significant changes during his rule. He changed the face of Christianity and his influence can still be seen in England today.

Three of his children went on to rule England after him, and ironically, after his desperate pursuit of a male heir, it was his daughter Elizabeth who went on to become one of the greatest monarchs in English history, Elizabeth I .

What do you think of our Henry VIII facts? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment, below!

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History Hit Story of England: Making of a Nation

• Early Modern

10 Facts About Henry VIII

Harry Atkins

30 jul 2021.

Henry VIII is undoubtedly one of the most colourful figures in the history of the English monarchy. His reign was increasingly autocratic and frequently tumultuous — it’s fair to say that the popular image of him as an obese, bloodthirsty control freak isn’t much of an exaggeration.

Famed for his role in the reformation, when his desire for marital annulment led to the creation of the Church of England, Henry VIII is nonetheless most commonly remembered for his succession of wives : Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

Here are 10 facts you might not have known about the infamous Tudor monarch.

1. He wasn’t expected to take the throne

His older brother Arthur was set to take the throne and married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the Spanish king, in 1502. But just four months later, 15-year-old Arthur died of a mysterious illness. This left Henry as next in line to the throne and he took the crown in 1509 at the age of 17 .  

2. Henry’s first wife was previously married to his brother, Arthur

Arthur’s death left Catherine of Aragon a widow and meant that Henry VII might be required to return a 200,000 ducat dowry to her father, something he was eager to avoid. Instead, it was agreed that Catherine would marry the king’s second son, Henry.  

Portrait of Henry VIII by Meynnart Wewyck, 1509

Image Credit: Attributed to Meynnart Wewyck, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

3. He had a relatively lithe figure for most of his life

The enduring image of Henry as fat and sedentary isn’t inaccurate — in his later life he weighed nearly 400 pounds. But prior to his physical decline, Henry had a tall (6 foot 4 inches) and athletic frame. Indeed, armour measurements from when he was a young man reveal a waist measurement of 34 to 36 inches. Measurements for his final set of armour, however, show that his waist expanded to about 58 to 60 inches in the last years of his life.  

4. He was a bit of a hypochondriac

Henry was rather paranoid about illness and would go to great lengths to avoid contracting the sweating sickness and the plague. He would frequently spend weeks in isolation and steered well clear of anyone he thought might have been subjected to disease. This included his wives — when his second wife, Anne Boleyn, caught the sweating sickness in 1528, he stayed away until the illness had passed.

5. Henry was a talented composer of music

Music was Henry’s great passion and he was not without musical talent. The king was a competent player of various keyboard, string, and wind instruments and numerous accounts attest to the quality of his own compositions. The Henry VIII Manuscript contains 33 compositions attributed to “the kyng h.viii”.

6. But he didn’t compose Greensleeves

Rumours have long persisted that the traditional English folk song Greensleeves was written by Henry for Anne Boleyn. Scholars have confidently ruled this out however; Greensleeves is based on an Italian style that only arrived in England long after Henry’s death.  

7. He is the only English monarch to have ruled in Belgium

Henry captured the city of Tournai in modern-day Belgium in 1513 and went on to rule it for six years. The city was returned to French rule in 1519, however, following the Treaty of London.

8. Henry’s nickname was Old Coppernose

Henry’s less than complimentary nickname is a reference to the debasing of coinage that took place during his reign. In an effort to raise funds for ongoing wars against Scotland and France, Henry’s chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, decided to add cheaper metals to coins and thus mint more money at a lower cost. The increasingly thin layer of silver on coins would often wear off where the king’s nose appeared, revealing the cheap copper beneath.  

Portrait of King Henry VIII, half-length, wearing a richly embroidered red velvet surcoat, holding a staff , 1542

Image Credit: Workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

9. He died in debt

Henry was a big spender. By his death on 28 January 1547, he had accumulated 50 royal palaces — a record for the English monarchy — and spent vast sums on his collections (including musical instruments and tapestries) and gambling. Not to mention the millions he pumped into wars with Scotland and France. When Henry’s son, Edward VI, took the throne, the royal coffers were in a sorry state.

10. The king was buried next to his third wife

Henry was laid to rest at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle next to Jane Seymour, Edward’s mother. Regarded by many as Henry’s favourite wife, Jane was the only one to receive a queen’s funeral.

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King Henry VIII

• Interesting Facts and information about King Henry VIII the Father of Queen Elizabeth I
• Facts, Picture and History of King Henry VIII
• Short Biography about the life of King Henry VIII and his six wives

• Nationality: English
• Father of Queen Elizabeth I
• Lifespan: 1491 - 1547

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8 Things You May Not Know About Henry VIII

By: Nate Barksdale

Updated: August 29, 2023 | Original: December 16, 2014

1. In his youth, Henry VIII was one of the Catholic Church’s staunchest supporters.

In 1521, Henry VIII published a book-length excoriation of the German Protestant reformer Martin Luther , referring to Luther as “a venomous serpent, a pernicious plague, infernal wolf, an infectious soul, a detestable trumpeter of pride, calumnies and schism.” In recognition of Henry’s forceful piety, Pope Leo X awarded him the title “Fidei defensor,” or Defender of the Faith. But scarcely a decade later, Henry led a schism of his own, cleaving the Church of England from the wider Catholic Church after Pope Clement VII refused to annul Henry’s 16-year marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

2. Henry’s harsh treatment of his first wife continued even after her death.

Even after the newly-formed Church of England granted Henry VIII his annulment, Catherine of Aragon remained faithful to her former spouse, in part to secure the interests of their daughter, the future Mary I. In her final letter to the now-remarried Henry, the dying Catherine wrote, “‘Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things. Farewell.” Following the January 1536 news of Catherine’s death, Henry and his new queen, Anne Boleyn, appeared publicly in all-yellow attire. Although some historians argue that yellow may have been a color of mourning in the Spanish court of Catherine’s birth, it seems likely that the royal couple were relieved at Catherine’s death and enjoyed the color’s more cheerful overtones.

3. He wrote a beloved popular song—but not the one you think.

Shortly after his coronation, Henry VIII wrote the words and music for the song “Pastime with Good Company,” which was a court favorite before became popular throughout England and beyond. The song is a celebration of the courtly life, which for the young Henry included, in the words of his contemporary Edward Hall, “shotyng, singing, dausyng, wrastelyng, casting of the barre, plaiying at the recorders, flute, virginal, and in setting of songes.” Henry wrote many other songs as well, though not, as is sometimes suggested, the English folk song “Greensleeves,” whose lyrics are in an Italian poetic form that only reached England after Henry’s death.

4. Henry VIII was the first English king to be called 'Your Majesty.'

Before Henry VIII, English kings were addressed as “Your Grace” or “Your Highness.” After the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V began being called “Majesty” in 1519, Henry VIII, not to be outdone, adopted the term for himself.

5. Henry VIII was nicknamed 'coppernose' after he issued cheap currency.

During the English Reformation , Henry’s kingdom amassed great wealth and property by confiscating Catholic monasteries. Nonetheless, by the end of his reign Henry’s funds ran low and he was forced to lower the percentage of silver in British coinage, to the point where they were mostly copper with a silver coating that wore away from the relief image of Henry’s face, starting with the nose.

Who Were the Six Wives of Henry VIII?

The monarch’s chaotic love life led to an unstable succession, foreign policy changes and a break with Rome.

Was Henry VIII the Worst Monarch of All Time?

In a recent British poll, a group of historical writers chose Henry VIII as the worst monarch in history. Was he really that bad?

How Anne Boleyn Lost Her Head

Found guilty of charges including adultery, incest and conspiracy against the king, on May 19, 1536 Anne Boleyn was beheaded by a French swordsman.

6. He was only obese during the last years of his life.

Considered by many to be among the most handsome rulers of his era, Henry VIII was always larger-than-life—he was well over 6 feet tall. But he only grew in girth after a 1536 jousting accident left him less and less able to exercise. Henry’s made-to-measure suits of armor chart the king’s expansion, with his final set, from around 1540, suggesting he weighed more than 300 pounds.

7. Henry ordered as many as 72,000 executions during his reign.

English schoolchildren remember Henry VIII’s daughter as “Bloody Mary,” an allusion to the more than 300 Protestants the staunchly Catholic Mary I had put to death during her five-year reign. In truth, though, Henry VIII was by far the bloodiest Tudor ruler, ordering tens of thousands of executions during the tumult of the English Reformation. (Henry’s most famous victims included his former top advisor Sir Thomas More, as well as two of Henry’s six queens— Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard).

8. Henry’s intended tomb is actually home to another famous figure.

Years before his death, Henry VIII made plans to build a monumental tomb for himself and Jane Seymour, his favorite queen and the mother of his only surviving male heir. Henry confiscated a black marble sarcophagus (originally intended for the powerful churchman Cardinal Wolsey) to be used at the center of the tomb, but during the tumultuous years after his death in 1547, the monument was never completed. Instead, Henry and Jane were left to rest in peace in what were supposed to be temporary lodgings in a crypt at Windsor Castle. Two and a half centuries later, Henry’s intended sarcophagus did become part of an ornate national monument when it became the final resting place of Horatio Nelson, the great British naval hero of the Napoleonic Wars.

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A Brief Biography of Henry VIII

By Tim Lambert

His Early Life

Henry VIII was born at Greenwich Palace on 28 June 1491 the second son of Henry Tudor (Henry VII). However, Henry’s older brother Arthur died in 1502. So Henry came to the throne in 1509. (Henry also had an older sister called Margaret and a younger sister called Mary).

Henry married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon on 11 June 1509. n Henry VIII was a clever and active young man. He spoke Latin, Spanish, and French fluently. He also performed and composed music.

He was good at tennis, wrestling, and casting the bar (throwing an iron bar). Henry also enjoyed hunting, jousting, and hawking. He also liked archery and bowling.

Henry VIII was also keen to revive the glories of the previous centuries when England conquered much of France. In 1511 he launched a warship the Mary Rose. In 1514 he launched the Henry Grace a Dieu.

Meanwhile, in 1512, he went to war with the French. In August 1513 the English won the Battle of the Spurs. (It was so-called because the French cavalry fled without fighting). However, in 1514 Henry VIII made peace with the French and his sister Mary married the king of France.

Meanwhile, the Scots invaded England to support their French allies. However, the Scots were crushed at the battle of Flodden and their king was killed.

In 1515 the Pope made Thomas Wolsey (1474-1530) a Cardinal. The same year the king made him Chancellor.

In 1520 Henry VIII met the king of France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Determined to impress the French king Henry VIII had a temporary palace made and it was decorated with very expensive velvet, satin, and cloth of gold. Not to be outdone the French king erected tents of gold brocade.

Catherine had a stillborn daughter in 1510. She had a son in 1511 but he died after a few weeks. Catherine had another son in 1513 but he died soon after he was born. Then in 1515, she had a stillborn son. Only one of her children lived – a girl called Mary who was born in 1516. Catherine had another daughter in 1518 but the girl soon died. Henry VIII was desperate to have a son and heir and Catherine could not give him one.

Henry VIII came to believe that God was punishing him for marrying his brother’s widow. Normally that would not have been allowed but the Pope granted him a special dispensation. Henry VIII now argued that the marriage to Catherine was not valid and should be annulled (declared null and void). Not surprisingly Catherine was opposed to any move to dissolve the marriage.

Henry VIII asked the Pope to annul the marriage. However, the Pope would not cooperate. In 1529 he formed an ecclesiastical court headed by Cardinals Wolsey and Campeggio to look into the matter. However, the court could not reach a verdict.

In the autumn of 1529, Henry VIII sacked Wolsey and banished him to York. In 1530 Wolsey was accused of treason and was summoned to London to answer the charges but he died on the way.

Thomas More replaced him as chancellor. More ruthlessly persecuted Protestants. More also strongly opposed the proposed relaxation of the heresy laws. In 1530 a Protestant named Thomas Hitton was burned at Maidstone. Thomas More called him ‘the Devil’s stinking martyr’. However, More resigned in 1532 and he was replaced by Thomas Cromwell.

Meanwhile, in 1527 Henry VIII began a relationship with Anne Boleyn. Henry was keen to get rid of Catherine and marry Anne. In 1529 Henry called the ‘Reformation Parliament’. Ties between England and Rome were cut one by one. Finally, he lost patience with the Pope and rejected his authority. In 1533 Henry VIII obtained a decree of nullity from Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. (He had already secretly married Anne Boleyn).

Anne gave birth to a daughter the future Queen Elizabeth I in 1533. However, Anne had two miscarriages. Henry was tired of her and in April 1536 she was accused of committing adultery with 5 men, including her brother. Anne and the five men were all executed in May 1536. Immediately afterward Henry VIII married Jane Seymour.

Jane did give Henry VIII one son, Edward, but she died on 24 October 1537, leaving Henry devastated.

The Henrician Reformation

Meanwhile, in 1534 the Act of Supremacy made Henry the head of the Church of England. The same year the Act of Succession was passed. It declared that Anne Boleyn’s child would be heir to the throne.

Although Henry VIII broke with Rome he kept the Catholic religion essentially intact. However, in 1538 Chancellor Thomas Cromwell did make some minor reforms. In 1538 he ordered that every church should have an English translation of the Bible. He also ordered that any idolatrous images should be removed from churches.

Nevertheless, in 1539 Henry VIII passed the Act of Six Articles, which laid down the beliefs of the Church of England. The Six Articles preserved the old religion mainly intact.

However, from 1545 Latin was replaced by English as the language of church services.

Meanwhile, Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. Parliament agreed to dissolve the small ones in 1536. The large ones followed in 1539-1540.

The monks were given pensions and many of them married and learned trades. many monastery buildings became manor houses. Others were dismantled and their stones were used for other buildings.

The vast estates owned by the monasteries were sold and fearing foreign invasion Henry used the wealth to build a network of new castles around the coast.

Changes made by Henry VIII caused resentment in some areas. In 1536 a rebellion began in Louth. (Although it was sparked off by religion the rebels had other grievances). The rebels marched to Doncaster but no pitched battles were fought between them and the royal forces. Instead, Henry VIII persuaded them to disperse by making various promises. However, in 1537 Henry hanged the leaders.

Anne of Cleves

Meanwhile, Henry VIII looked for another wife. Chancellor Cromwell suggested allying with the Duchy of Cleves. The Duke of Cleves had two sisters and Henry VIII sent the painter Holbein to make portraits of them both. After seeing a portrait of Anne of Cleves Henry decided to marry her.

However, when Henry VIII met Anne for the first time he was repulsed. Nevertheless, Henry married her in January 1540 but the marriage was not consummated. Henry divorced Anne six months later but she was given a generous settlement of houses and estates. Anne of Cleves lived quietly until she died in 1557.

For his pains, Cromwell was accused of treason and executed in July 1540. Next, in 1540, Henry VIII married Catherine Howard. However, in December 1541 Henry VIII was given proof that Catherine was unfaithful. Catherine was beheaded on 13 February 1542.

Catherine Parr

In 1543 Henry VIII married Catherine Parr (1512-1548). Meanwhile, in 1536 Henry had an accident jousting. Afterward, he stopped taking exercise and became obese. Worse a painful ulcer appeared on his leg, which his doctors could not cure.

Nevertheless, Henry VIII went to war again. In 1542 he crushed the Scots at Solway Moss. In 1543 Henry went to war with the French. He captured Boulogne but was forced to return to England to deal with the threat of French invasion. The French sent a fleet to the Solent (between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight). They also landed men on the Isle of Wight. In a naval battle, the Mary Rose was lost but the French fleet was forced to withdraw.

Henry VIII died on 28 January 1547. He was 55. Henry was buried in St George’s Chapel in Windsor on 16 February 1547.

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"Bloody Mary" "The Virgin Queen" "The Boy King" Duke of Richmond , , , , See section For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Not sure how to enable it? Please use the following link: http://enable-javascript.com/ Skip to content or footer Thomas Wolsey: 'The Other King' Henry VIII’s right-hand man – until the King met Anne Boleyn The 1500s were a time of great change. In England, Henry VIII 's marriage to the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon in 1509 united the country with a strong European dynasty. The Tudor age offered opportunities for bold and ambitious men to make their mark and achieve power and influence of their own. One of these men was the son of a butcher from Ipswich, Thomas Wolsey, who had already become a respected priest and administrator at the royal court. It would be Wolsey’s work ethic and talents that would enable the early successes of Henry VIII’s reign. It would be Wolsey too who would change the fortunes of Hampton Court, transforming a small manor house at the edge of London to one of the most magnificent palaces of the day. Wolsey became Henry’s chief minister, a Papal cardinal, and a central figure in European politics until his spectacular fall from power in the late 1520s. Image: Thomas Wolsey, attributed to Jacques Le Boucq (1520-73) from the ‘Recueil d’Arras’. France, Arras, Médiathèque de l’Abbaye Saint-Vaast / ARCA, IRHT-CNRS Image: Wolsey never forgot his home town of Ipswich, and planned to open a school there. Unfortunately, he fell from power before the school could be completed, apart from this Tudor gateway. geogphotos / Alamy Stock Photo Thomas Wolsey, Son of a Butcher Thomas Wolsey was born in Ipswich in the early 1470s – we don’t know exactly when. His father Robert ran a tavern in the town and traded as a butcher. Whilst the family had money and property, they were not part of the traditional ruling classes of medieval England. But the Tudor age opened up new opportunities for those clever and wealthy enough to seize them – King Henry VII was keen to find new, loyal men to challenge the power of the nobility. Wolsey’s modest beginnings would later prompt snobbish ridicule from his rivals. Education and Early Career Family money provided Thomas with an Oxford University education to study theology. After graduating, he was ordained as a priest while gaining business experience working for the University, becoming senior bursar at Magdalen College in 1499. Wolsey’s first church appointment came the following year, in Limington, Somerset, through contacts he’d made at Oxford. But seeking a higher position than parish priest, he also joined the household of Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury, as a chaplain. He also worked for Sir Richard Nanfan, treasurer of the English port of Calais. Image: Henry VII, by an unknown artist, late 16th or early 17th century, based on a work of c1490-1500. © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024 | Royal Collection Trust ‘Well beloved clerk and chaplain’ to Henry VII Always on the lookout for new opportunities, Wolsey’s busy networking got him another post as a royal chaplain, where his diligence and speed of work soon attracted the notice of Henry VII. The King sent Wolsey on several diplomatic missions in the last years of his reign, to the Netherlands and Scotland. His rewards as Henry’s ‘well-beloved clerk and chaplain’ were more royal and church appointments. When the King died in 1509, Wolsey was one of the men singled out for further promotion, becoming almoner to the new King, Henry VIII. Wolsey’s Mistress and Children Flushed with success, but unable to marry because he was a priest (at the time Catholic priests, whatever their role, were meant to remain celibate) Wolsey had two children with ‘Mistress Larke’, Thomas and Dorothy. Later, at the height of his power, this relationship would become an embarrassment, but Wolsey provided for both his mistress (paying for her marriage in 1519) and his children. There was in the royal household a priest named Thomas Wolsey, one of the number of royal chaplains, not unlearned in Scripture, a clever fellow, and most ready for any undertaking. Polydore Vergil in 'Anglica Historia', between 1534 and 1555 Image: Portrait of Henry VIII, by an unknown artist, c1520. © National Portrait Gallery, London Thomas Wolsey and Henry VIII Over the next few years, Wolsey made himself as indispensable as possible to Henry VIII, seeking out friendships and alliances with Henry’s councillors, and earning a reputation for efficiency and managing the tedious workloads of everyday government. He also listened. And paid attention to the youthful aspirations of his royal master. Henry VIII was only 18 in 1509, and wanted to emulate his royal heroes of the past by winning a glorious victory against England’s traditional enemy, France, on the battlefields of western Europe. War with France Wolsey became the director of Henry’s military campaign of 1513, backing the King against the advice of some of his ministers. He arranged for the supply of the army, the mustering of ships and organised the raising of the enormous funds required. The English army captured Tournai and Thérouanne, and forced the French to accept a peace treaty that married Henry’s sister Mary to Louis XII King of France. Success for the Tudors meant rewards for Wolsey. In 1514, he became Archbishop of York, and the following year Lord Chancellor, effectively Henry’s chief minister. At the same time, at the King’s request, the Pope created Wolsey a ‘Cardinal’. Image: Wolsey at the height of his power, surrounded by his entourage, from a 1578 version of the biography written by his servant George Cavendish, compiled in the 1550s. The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Douce 363, fol. 052v Chief Minister and 'Alter Rex' ('The Other King') All of this made Wolsey in charge of Henry’s home and foreign policy, of England’s legal system, and of England’s relations with the Catholic Church. For the next 15 or more years, Henry would do little without the help, support and guidance of a man who became known to some as the alter rex (the other king). As the political landscape shifted, and England’s policy moved from war to peace, it was Wolsey, again, who played the key diplomatic role. Image: Thomas Wolsey in his Cardinal's robes, by an unknown artist, c1589-95, based on a work of c1520. © National Portrait Gallery, London The Field of Cloth of Gold Wolsey positioned England and the King as an arbiter between the two, more powerful European ruling dynasties of France and the Holy Roman Empire. He negotiated a complex series of peace treaties, supported by the Pope, who wanted the whole of Europe to stand together against the threat of the expanding Islamic empire of the Ottomans. In 1520, the Treaty of London between England and France was celebrated in lavish style at a festival and sporting tournament held near Calais. So magnificent was the occasion, as both the English and French courts tried to outdo each other, that it became known as The Field of Cloth of Gold . Henry and Wolsey were, throughout the 1510s and early 1520s, a formidable team. The Cardinal does everything … All negotiations pass through the Cardinal, who manages everything with consummate ability, integrity and prudence. The King pays the Cardinal such respect that he speaks only through [Wolsey’s] mouth. Francesco Chieregato, Papal Nuncio, on Thomas Wolsey, 1517 Thomas Wolsey’s Hampton Court In 1514, a small army of builders and labourers, craftspeople and decorators began converting a relatively modest manor house at Hampton Court into a fashionable palace. Wolsey’s new home would be fit to entertain not only Henry VIII and his court, but also rulers and visitors from all over Europe. Built to impress, Thomas Wolsey’s Hampton Court Palace reflected the styles and fashions of Renaissance Europe, and by the 1520s was one of the most splendid and modern buildings in the country. There was enough room for grand entertainments, guest bedroom suites for the royal family (over three floors – one each for Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon and their daughter Princess Mary ) and even a Chapel . Surviving Fragments of Magnificence Not much of Wolsey’s original residence survives. Henry VIII took over Hampton Court and rebuilt it, expanding it further into a great royal palace. And much of Henry’s palace was also demolished by the rebuilding and modernisation programmes of later monarchs. Image: Surviving gilded and painted fragments of Wolsey's palace show typical Renaissance designs. This ‘shield’ features dolphins and floral motifs. © Historic Royal Palaces Image: Wolsey's surviving apartments at Hampton Court, today open to the public as  The Tudor World in the Wolsey Rooms . © Historic Royal Palaces The Wolsey Rooms In a rather secret corner of Clock Court, hidden behind the late 17th-century entrance to William III’s State Apartments, visitors can still find a set of rooms that once formed part of Wolsey’s private apartment. The Wolsey Rooms would once have extended over three floors, but the six rooms that remain, with their gilded ceilings and linenfold panelling, still give an indication of Tudor luxury and Wolsey’s success. You can imagine Wolsey still here, looking out of the gardens towards the river Thames, awaiting the arrival of the French ambassador perhaps, or an envoy from the Pope. Wolsey’s Hampton Court, as well as his other 'official' residence, York Place in Whitehall (that later became Whitehall Palace ) were where the big conversations of the 1520s took place. This is where the Tudors met the rest of the world. Tap to zoom Hover to zoom Up Close: Wolsey's Tapestry From 'the redemption of man', c.1521. Wolsey spared little expense in furnishing his rooms. A diplomat from Venice described how you had to cross eight rooms before reaching his audience chamber, and all the rooms were hung with fine tapestries, which were changed once a week. Wolsey collected or commissioned over 600 tapestries during his lifetime, while he lined his own private chamber with cloth-of-gold. This tapestry is one from a set known as 'The Redemption of Man', probably acquired by Wolsey for Hampton Court in 1521. Image: © Historic Royal Palaces What's left of Wolsey’s Hampton Court also includes 'Base Court', the vast accommodation block built for his important guests, as well as parts of his original kitchens. Explore Wolsey's Base Court Discover Base Court in this 360-degree image, created in partnership with Google Arts & Culture . The Wolsey Closet The ceiling of the Wolsey Closet is one of the finest examples of Tudor interior design at Hampton Court. The room was created by Wolsey for Henry VIII as part of the royal apartments at the palace in the 1520s. Discover the Tudor ceiling of the Wolsey Closet View the ceiling of the Wolsey Closet in high definition in this Gigapixel image, created in partnership with Google Arts & Culture . Yet such visible flamboyance and advertised success attracted criticism and jealousy. Wolsey’s palace at Hampton Court was described as more impressive than the King’s. Wolsey’s argument was that the palace belonged to Henry VIII – he was just the King’s loyal servant in a grand residence designed to reflect Tudor power and magnificence. In a few short years, Wolsey was to be proved correct. In came a new banquet before the King's Majesty, and to all the rest through the tables, wherein I suppose was served two hundred dishes or above of wonderous costly meats and devices subtly devised. Thus passed they forth the whole night with banquetting, dancing and other triumphant devices to the great comfort of the king and pleasant regard of the nobility there assembled. George Cavendish, in 'Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey' first published in 1558 European Isolation Universal peace in Europe, so carefully negotiated by Wolsey, did not last. In 1525, the armies of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V defeated the forces of Francis I, King of France at the Battle of Pavia, as both rulers fought over control of northern Italy. Francis was captured, and ultimately signed a separate peace treaty with Charles. This left England isolated, and with few cards to play. Henry VIII had been married to Katherine of Aragon for 20 years, but a story of still-births and infant death had left them with only one daughter, Princess Mary. Henry needed a son and heir, both to secure the Tudors as the ruling dynasty in England, and to negotiate marriage alliances abroad. Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII’s ‘Great Matter’ The arrival of Anne Boleyn at the English court offered Henry new hope. He planned to divorce Katherine, marry Anne, and acquire the family he craved. But this was not straightforward, even for the King of England. With Katherine refusing to accept her fate, Wolsey was charged with finding a solution. This meant appealing to Pope Clement VII, who could provide Henry with an annulment, and legitimise his second marriage. But the Pope’s political authority was limited, as he was himself reliant on the support of Emperor Charles V. It suited Charles to have Henry remain without a male heir, and effectively powerless, so he wasn’t inclined to help. Image: A later re-imagination of Wolsey’s final days at Leicester Abbey, painted by the Victorian artist Charles West Pope in 1847. © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024 | Royal Collection Trust Wolsey's Defeat and Death Wolsey failed to resolve Henry’s 'Great Matter' and lost his power and some of his positions as a result. In 1529, he surrendered Hampton Court to the King, and travelled north to visit his Yorkshire archdiocese. But in his desperate attempts to retain his favour with Henry, he overstepped his authority by negotiating with continental contacts without the King's knowledge. Accused of treason, the Cardinal was summoned back to London. By this point, he was not a well man. Apparently overweight and troubled by a variety of illnesses and infections, grief and fear, Thomas Wolsey fell sick at Leicester Abbey, and died in the early hours of 29 November 1530. And there being all alone… by the chimney, in my lord’s bedchamber, the earl trembling said, with a very faint and soft voice… “My, lord I arrest you of high treason”… my lord was marvellously astonished, standing both a long space without any further words… George Cavendish, in 'Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey', first published in 1558 Image: There are no known surviving portraits of Wolsey from his lifetime. This copy was painted in the early 1840s as part of a set to grace the Great Hall at Hampton Court. © Historic Royal Palaces Pride and Fall: How Should We Remember Thomas Wolsey? The story of Thomas Wolsey’s rise and fall is often told as a cautionary tale. Beware the perils of being too ambitious and becoming so powerful, that you sow the seeds of your own destruction. In this version of events, Wolsey angered both the King with his extravagance, and incurred the envy of his rivals at court. He was a Tudor ‘villain’ described by his successors and enemies as a fat, lecherous, vainglorious tyrant, who deserved his fate. Wolsey certainly inspired jealousy and criticism, but what finally brought Wolsey down was Henry VIII’s ‘Great Matter’, the King’s desire for an annulment from Katherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. Wolsey couldn’t deliver. And when a man like Wolsey falls from power, his enemies are all too quick to seize an opportunity. Tudor Icon and Hampton Court Celebrity Yet we should remember Wolsey as one of the Tudor age’s great administrators, who did his level best to enable Henry VIII’s aspirations to be a great ‘Renaissance Prince’. He aimed to position England at the centre of European politics and culture, through his busy, clever diplomacy and his patronage of art and architecture. Wolsey initiated reforms in taxation and government management that allowed Henry’s court to flourish, increasing royal revenue and centralising authority. He also made it easier for his successors, like his protégé Thomas Cromwell to govern well. At Hampton Court, his legacy is the palace itself, which would not have become Henry VIII’s great pleasure palace without Wolsey’s investment and energy. Explore Thomas Wolsey's Hampton Court The Tudor World in the Wolsey Rooms Included in your palace ticket. Discover the oldest rooms at Hampton Court Palace and meet the ordinary men and women who enabled the Tudor court to exist and flourish. Explore the Wolsey Closet online A guided tour with our curator. Join our curator, Charles Farris for a closer look at Renaissance design and painting in a Tudor Palace, on Google Arts & Culture. Browse more History and Stories Henry VIII, Terrible Tudor? Who was the real Henry VIII? Katherine of Aragon Katherine of Aragon was the first wife of Henry VIII. In her eyes, she was his only Queen. Anne Boleyn How did Anne Boleyn become queen and why did Henry VIII execute her? Explore What's on Things to see Wolsey Closet Explore this hidden Tudor space, the only surviving room of the apartment that Cardinal Wolsey had built for Henry VIII. In line with palace opening hours Hampton Court Palace Included in palace admission (Members go free) Experience the splendour of the Tudor court in Henry VIII's Great Hall, complete with his magnificent tapestries. Haunted Gallery and Processional Route Walk Henry VIII’s route from his private apartments to the Chapel and see the infamous Haunted Gallery in the State Apartments. Shop online Shop Tudor gifts Browse through our Tudor Collection to find a whole range of products based on the Tudors. From £3.00 Elizabeth's Women by Tracy Borman Discover the world of Elizabeth I with this insightful look at Elizabeth's relationship with woman and how they helped to shape her into a remarkable monarch. This thrilling book explores the lesser known side of Elizabeth I who is often portrayed as a ruthless 'man's woman'. £16.99 Henry VIII gauntlet armour oven glove This fun oven glove has been inspired by a suit of armour made for Henry VIII in 1540, which is on display at the Tower of London. £18.00 485 IMAGES Henry VIII Biography Profile Anglicanism Henry Viii Henry VIII facts for kids King Henry VIII. Henry VIII HENRY VIII: A Henry VIII Biography eBook : Revell, Anna: Amazon.in VIDEO King Henry VIII: A Brief Reign #history The WIVES of King Henry VIII You Need to Know About The Shocking Truth About King Henry VIII's Royal Servants #history #shorts #short Henry VIII Biography Interpretations of Henry VIII Henry VIII's SIX Wives COMMENTS Henry VIII Henry was the second son of Henry VII, first of the Tudor line, and Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV, first king of the short-lived line of York.When his elder brother, Arthur, died in 1502, Henry became the heir to the throne; of all the Tudor monarchs, he alone spent his childhood in calm expectation of the crown, which helped give an assurance of majesty and righteousness to his willful ... Henry VIII King Henry VIII's only son, Edward, was born on October 12, 1537. Upon Henry's death in 1547, Edward succeeded him as king at the tender age of 10 and ruled until his death in 1553. Henry VIII ... Henry VIII ‑ King, Wives & Children Henry VIII, king of England for 36 years, was a leader of the Reformation. He had six wives, including Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves and Jane Seymour. Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled.His disagreement with Pope Clement VII about such an annulment led Henry to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority. Henry VIII Biography He is also famous for his six wives - two of which he had executed. Henry VIII was instrumental in splitting the English Church from Rome, cementing the Protestant Reformation in England. His father was Henry VII, and when he died in 1509, Henry was crowned King, aged just 18. In his youth, Henry VIII cut a dashing figure. Henry VIII (r.1509-1547) Henry VIII (r.1509-1547) Henry VIII was born at Greenwich on 28 June 1491, the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. He became heir to the throne on the death of his elder brother, Prince Arthur, in 1502 and succeeded in 1509. In his youth he was athletic and highly intelligent. A contemporary observer described him thus: 'he speaks ... Henry VIII of England Henry VIII by Holbein. Hans Holbein (Public Domain) Henry VIII of England ruled as king from 1509 to 1547 CE. The second Tudor king after his father Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509 CE), Henry had inherited a kingdom which enjoyed both unity and sound finances. Famous for his six wives as he searched for a male heir, the king was charismatic ... Biography: Henry VIII for Kids Biography >> Renaissance. Occupation: King of England Born: June 28, 1491 in Greenwich, England Died: January 28, 1547 in London, England Reign: 1509-1547 Best known for: Marrying six times and splitting the Church of England from the Catholic Church Biography: Early Life Prince Henry was born on June 28th in Greenwich Palace. His parents were Henry VII the King of England and Elizabeth York ... Facts about Henry VIII Find out more about Henry VIII's navy. 4. Henry established Deptford and Woolwich as the Royal Dockyards. He chose these locations because they were near to his riverside palace in Greenwich. 5. Henry was born at Greenwich Palace on 28 June 1491. Both his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, were also born at Greenwich. Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was the King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547.. Henry VIII increased the power of the monarchy and government over the country. Many people he did not like were executed under his orders, including two of his own wives. He was easily led by whoever his favourite advisor was: Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer ... A Profile of Henry VIII of England Updated on April 19, 2019. Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 to 1547. An athletic young man who famously grew much larger later in life, he is best known for having six wives (part of his quest for a male heir) and breaking the English church away from Roman Catholicism. He is arguably the most famous English monarch of all time. King Henry VIII In the biography of Henry at this site, I hope to capture both the king's personality and assess his importance to history. Henry VIII's reign was as tumultuous as the king himself. If nothing else, it makes for entertaining reading. Henry Tudor, duke of York: 1491-1502. The second Henry Tudor was born on 28 June 1491 at Greenwich Palace in ... Henry VIII Biography Born: June 28, 1491. Greenwich, England. Died: January 28, 1547. Westminster, England. King of England. Henry VIII was king of England from 1509 to 1547. He established the Church of England and strengthened the position of king. But much of Henry VIII's legacy lies in his string of marriages during a quest for a son who would one day take his ... Who was King Henry VIII? This is King Henry VIII. Henry VIII was King of England in the 16th century. Henry wanted to look rich and strong. He had jewels sewn into his clothes and ate the finest foods. He had six wives ... Henry VIII summary Henry VII Summary. Henry VII was the king of England (1485-1509), who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and founded the Tudor dynasty. Henry, son of Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort, was born nearly three months after his father's death. His father. Henry VIII facts for kids Henry VIII was King of England and Ireland from 21 April 1509 until 28 January 1547, and is perhaps one of the most famous monarchs in English history. Born on 28 June 1491 at Greenwich Palace in London, Henry was the second eldest son to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The young prince was never expected to become king, but when his older ... 10 Facts About Henry VIII When Henry's son, Edward VI, took the throne, the royal coffers were in a sorry state. 10. The king was buried next to his third wife. Henry was laid to rest at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle next to Jane Seymour, Edward's mother. Regarded by many as Henry's favourite wife, Jane was the only one to receive a queen's funeral. King Henry VIII Succeeded to the throne of England: 21 April 1509. Reigned: 1509 - 1547. Marriages: King Henry VIII married six times. Died: 28 January 1547 - The body of King Henry VIII was interred with his third wife, Jane Seymour, the beloved mother of his son and heir. Family connections: Son of Henry VII the first Tudor King. 8 Things You May Not Know About Henry VIII 4. Henry VIII was the first English king to be called 'Your Majesty.'. Before Henry VIII, English kings were addressed as "Your Grace" or "Your Highness.". After the Holy Roman Emperor ... A Brief Biography of Henry VIII In 1515 the Pope made Thomas Wolsey (1474-1530) a Cardinal. The same year the king made him Chancellor. In 1520 Henry VIII met the king of France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Determined to impress the French king Henry VIII had a temporary palace made and it was decorated with very expensive velvet, satin, and cloth of gold. Biography of Henry VIII for Kids: Famous Kings from History for https://patreon.com/freeschool - Help support more content like this!Welcome to our exciting video about King Henry VIII! In this educational video, we will ... King Henry VIII of England The Life of King Henry VIII (1491-1547). Biography of Henry Tudor, King of England. KING HENRY VIII of England and Ireland, the third child and second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, was born on the 28th of June 1491 and, like all the Tudor monarchs except Henry VII, at Greenwich Palace. His two brothers, Prince Arthur and Edmund, Duke ... King Henry VIII picture & short biography Henry VIII was born in London, England in 1491. It was following the death of his elder brother Arthur in 1509 when Henry succeeded to the throne at the tender age of 18. As King of England, Henry was reputed to be a man of exceptional beauty, learning and culture. However, he posessed a rather brutal and ruthless side to his personality. Thomas Wolsey: 'The Other King' The 1500s were a time of great change. In England, Henry VIII's marriage to the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon in 1509 united the country with a strong European dynasty. The Tudor age offered opportunities for bold and ambitious men to make their mark and achieve power and influence of their own. essay homework paper phd project resume review speech study thesis